The Independent January 04 2010

The Independent January 04 2010

noticias desde inglaterra

THE
INDEPENDENT
FIT&FABULOUS
Everything you need to create a new you Today in Life
Monday 4 January 2010 www.independent.co.uk Number 7,247 �1 (Ireland 1)
`Puerile' Ryanair under attack by OFT chief
2 `Funny game' of optional items charges is singled out for criticism by watchdog
Exclusive
By Martin Hickman
CONSUMER AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
BRITAIN'S TOP business regulator has accused Europe's biggest airline, Ryanair, of "almost taunting" passengers in a strongly worded attack on its charges. John Fingleton, the chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading, described Ryanair's levying of fees for paying by card online as "puerile" and "almost childish", adding the carrier was only operating within "the narrow letter of the law". Ryanair advertises taxes and other fees upfront but only mentions charges for paying by plastic at the end of booking on the grounds that customers could escape the fee by using an obscure prepaid card. The no-frills carrier � along with
other airlines and ticketing agencies � is being investigated by the OFT over online pricing and advertising. Of particular concern is "drip-pricing" where shoppers only discover the full cost of a service late in the booking process, which makes it difficult to shop around. In a rare and exclusive interview, his first for 18 months, Mr Fingleton, whose organisation has previously clashed with Ryanair, criticised the airline's "funny game". "Ryanair has this funny game where they have found some low frequency payment mechanism and say: `Well, because you can pay with that [the charge is optional]'," he said. "It's almost like taunting consumers and pointing out: `Oh well, we know this is completely outside the spirit of the law, but we think it's within the narrow letter of the law'." Mr Fingleton � whose criticism elicited an angry response from Ryanair � hopes that ironing out
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Rooney rues the day
Wayne Rooney of Manchester United shows his dejection after his team's shock defeat by Leeds during their FA Cup Third Round match at Old Trafford yesterday. Leeds lost no time in going ahead, with Jermaine Beckford scoring the only goal in the 19th minute MARTIN RICKETT/PA WIRE.
FULL MATCH REPORT IN SPORT 20-PAGE SECTION
2
NEWS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Suits you sir Britain's best � and worst � dressed men
News, page 7
Ryanair hits back at OFT over charge of `drip pricing'
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Beware of the animals The diseases that pose a deadly threat to humans
News, pages 14-15
Al-Qa'ida alert Embassies in Yemen shut down by Britain and US
World, page 19
THE
CHRISTMAS APPEAL2009 It's not too late � help today
World, page 25
INDEPENDENT
problems on airline websites will set standards for online shopping, which is forecast to account for half of retail sales by 2020. Under consumer law, businesses must advertise all compulsory charges. At the payment stage online, Ryanair levies a �5 debit or credit card charge per passenger, per journey, although the cost to the company is only about 30p per payment, according to the card industry. The charges can add �40 to the cost of a return trip for a family of four � several times the airline's cheapest advertised fares. From last month, payments by Electron card that had previously been free began to attract the fee and Ryanair switched its free option to MasterCard pre-pay. Mr Fingleton suggested that Ryanair had found "some low frequency payment mechanism" to get round the rules. He said: "It's almost like taunting consumers and pointing out: `Oh well, we know this is completely outside the spirit of the law, but we think it's within the narrow letter of the law'. "On some level, it's quite puerile, it's almost childish. And you sort of smile, and newspapers like yours or BBC Radio 4's Moneybox do a good job in pointing this out to consumers. This is just playing silly games at the margins of it all and we might or might not go running after something like that." The automatic addition of insurance to flights by airlines, including Ryanair, unless customers opted out, was, he said, another legal "grey area". But public anger about such charges might prove to be more effective than regu-
A Ryanair plane landing at Dublin airport. Europe's biggest airline is being called to account by Britain's top business regulator, John Fingleton (right)
latory action, he said. "It would be silly to go after something like that every time because they would quickly change it to something else, and it's trying to establish a general principle that what's not optional is not in there. Consumer anger and frustration, and an element of transparency, often changes these things much quicker than legal action." In July, Ryanair agreed to give more prominence to fees and charges on its website after the OFT's intervention. The OFT had been asked to act by the Advertising Standards Authority,
whose rulings have been repeatedly dismissed by the no-frills airline, which carried 58 million passengers last year. Ryanair responded to Mr Fingleton by referring to the OFT's ongoing inquiry into the long-running price-fixing of fuel surcharges, which eventually led to British Airways being fined �121m three years ago. Stephen McNamara, Ryanair's head of communications, said: "As a general rule, anything that comes from an office that has chosen to ignore fuel surcharging airlines like British Air-
ways and remained mute while London air passengers were being ripped off by the BAA monopoly should be taken with a pinch of salt. "Ryanair is not for the overpaid John Fingletons of this world but for the everyday Joe Bloggs who opt for Ryanair's guaranteed lowest fares because we give them the opportunity to fly across 26 European countries for free, �5 and �10." The OFT needed to realise, Ryanair said, that its passengers could avoid costs such as baggage charges "still included in the high fares of high-cost, fuel-surcharging, strike-threatened airlines such as BA." The airline had become Europe's biggest because it was so cheap, he added.
`The central issue now is price transparency'
Editorial, page 28
Fears for fifth hostage McMenemy
By Jonathan Brown
THE FATE of the fifth British hostage seized in Baghdad nearly three years ago could be resolved within days, according to senior Iraqi government sources. But yesterday the Foreign Office sought to play down suggestions bodyguard Alan McMenemy might be alive, urging the kidnappers to release his body and end his family's anguish. Speculation over the wellbeing of the 34-year-old Scot surfaced as computer programmer Peter Moore, who was taken by Shia militants at the same time as four British bodyguards at the Iraqi Finance Ministry in 2007, issued a statement expressing his delight at being free after 946 days in captivity. His safe return has raised hopes of a rapid resolution to the hostage crisis. An Iraqi government spokesman indicated it was not confirmed that the outstanding hostage had been killed. Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Ali al-Dabbagh said: "We hope McMenemy is still alive. The government is seeking his release. That will be soon, God willing." He added: "All must be handof, or explanation for, Mr McMenemy's fate has been forthcoming. The former paratrooper's father Dennis McMenemy from Dumbarton criticised Britain's handling of the crisis this weekend as "scandalous". He said: "In the back of my mind I know it's going to be a body that is returned. I'm not happy with the British government's role because they didn't do enough. If Alan is dead, the British government will have blood on its hands." It has been reported that Mr McMenemy was being used as the final chip to secure the freedom of Iranian-backed militant leader Qais al-Khazali, whose transfer from a US to an Iraqi jail presaged Mr Moore's sudden release. Yesterday's flurry of activity followed claims by British clergyman Canon Andrew White that there could be grounds for hope. Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, the Church of England special envoy said he was told by representatives of the kidnappersthree days before Christmas that the Scot would be released with Mr Moore. He said an email last week fromthe Iraqi minister for human rights Wijdan Salim was upbeat. Canon White, who has been negotiating with kidnappers the League of Righteousness fortwo-and-a-half years, said the three murdered bodyguards, Alec MacLachlan, 30, Jason Swindlehurst, 38, and Jason Creswell, 39, had been killed when security forces threatened to storm their hideouts. "In order to make a quick getaway they killed the men. Peter and Alan were spared because they were not in those homes in danger of a raid," he said. "Initially we were told Alan and Peter would be released, so we were bitterly disappointed. But we were told Alan is still alive. We can't believe that until we see him released," he added. In his statement Mr Moore said he was delighted to be back in the UK and pleaded for privacy. "I am looking forward to spending the coming days and weeks catching up on all the things I've missed," he said. It also emerged yesterday that a second British IT specialist narrowly escaped being kidnapped alongside him. It was claimed Finance Ministry staff helped Peter Donkin, 50, hide under the floorboards when dozens of militants dressed in Iraqi police uniforms took over the building.
Quick Sudoku prize grid. See page 20 of Life
DAB A PURE AL DIGIT RADIO
WIN
2 9 1 6
8 5
2 1 2 8 6 3 4 3 5 7 1 7 4 3 6 8 5 7 9 1
6 1 7
Alan McMenemy was taken hostage along with Peter Moore in Iraq ITN
ed over to the British embassy. And that will happen in the coming days." The Foreign Office said the British position remained unchanged. A spokeswoman said: "We believe that Alan has been killed and his family have been told our view. We urge those holding Alan to return him immediately." While the bodies of three of the captives were returned last year, no proof
COMMENT 27 OBITUARIES 34 WEATHER 36 BUSINESS 37 MEDIA 43 SUDOKU & PUZZLES IN LIFE, 20
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS
3
Under their spell Hypnosis in history
n
The Ancient Greeks are believed to have used "sleep temples" for mass relaxation and healing, which employed hypnosis techniques. In the 1890s, the "Indian Rope Trick" was widely reported in American newspapers as an infamous illusion sweeping India. The stunt involves a stage magician hurling rope into the air, which becomes solidly vertical before an assistant
climbs it. At the time, many believed it to be evidence of successful audience hypnosis, but the story was later revealed as a hoax, made-up by a writer at The Chicago Tribune.
n
n
In 2009, magician and illusionist Derren Brown attempted to hypnotise more than 4 million of his Channel 4 audience into believing they were stuck to their furniture. One in four participants claimed to have been affected. The Indian magician Padmarajan performing his version of the rope trick
We promise we'll never put a healthy dog down.
Chris Hughes hopes to set a record tonight for the largest mass hypnosis, via the internet CATERS NEWS AGENCY
Hypnotist plans to put Facebookers in trance
By Lawrence Conway
A MODERN hypnotist is planning to put a world record number of people in a trance tonight using the internet. Chris Hughes has signed up more than 6,000 people for the stunt being run through social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. Mr Hughes, 34, said: "It started when someone suggested we do a mass hypnosis. "Nobody has ever tried this before on such a mass scale. There is no world record so we are attempting to set a world record for the largest online group hypnosis session. "Since we launched it, I've had people register from 85 countries, from Peru to Israel, with Italians, Britons and Americans the most interested. "Social media is all about bringing people together, so it is a perfect way to help educate the world about hypnosis. Now I'm getting one to two registrations a minute, it has gone absolutely mad." Mr Hughes, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, has been a hypnotist for five years and is keen to promote its benefits. "Hypnotism is not just about doing silly things, although those are great for entertainment," he said. "It's really about accepting ideas for change and dealing with things in your life that you may be having trouble accepting � like cutting out cream cakes or giving up smoking. I truly believe that everyone can be hypnotised, and people shouldn't be afraid of it." The event, called SocialTrance, which coincides with World Hypnotism Day, will begin at 8.30pm and is expected to make it into the Guinness World Records book. A computer with an internet connection, speakers or headphones, and a comfy chair are needed to take part. Mr Hughes asks that people put themselves in a quiet place where they will not be disturbed during the session. "This session will be designed to help people achieve what they want to in 2010 and give people a really good start to the year. "When someone is hypnotised they can, at a subconscious level, accept ideas that they could otherwise think are too hard or too much effort to achieve," he said. "Hypnosis helps people internalise change and make big differences in their lives. This session will give positive, fairly general, suggestions for change that can be applied to most individual's goals." The session will feature an audio webcast, with Mr Hughes conducting the half-hour social trance live. "Within a minute of starting the session, those listening will be gradually taken into a relaxing level of hypnosis and it should be very enjoyable. "To make it interesting and to demonstrate the idea of suggestion in a fun way, those taking part will find themselves at times having a sensation of their eyes stuck together and experiencing relaxation like never before." Mr Hughes stressed that he had designed the session to be safe at all times. Anyone over 18, except pregnant women, those with mental illness, and people under the influence of alcohol or drugs, can take part, although epileptics are advised to seek advice from their doctors. And no one should worry that they will find themselves the butt of a mass joke, clucking like a chicken every time they hear a door bell ringing or involuntarily trying to chat up a lamp post. "At any time people will be able to open their eyes and return to their normal state. As long as people are willing, the session will continue and it's completely consensual," Mr Hughes said. Anyone interested in taking part should visit http://bit.ly/socialtran to sign up. At 8.30pm, visitors will be directed to another website to begin the session.
Please promise to help us with a gift in your Will.
Every year, Dogs Trust cares for over 16,000 dogs in our 17 rehoming centres across the UK. We never destroy a healthy dog. By leaving a gift in your Will, your love of dogs can live on and help us make the world a better place for them.
For more information
call 020 7837 0006
or email: infopack@dogstrust.org.uk Please quote "INDY01" or complete this coupon:
Please send me my free legacy info pack
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other Address
"This session will be designed to help people achieve what they want in 2010"
Postcode Email 100395 Please send this coupon to:
Dogs Trust, FREEPOST WD360, 17 Wakley Street, London EC1B 1NA
No stamp required Reg. Charity Nos: 227523 & SC037843 All information will be treated as strictly confidential
www.dogstrust.org.uk
4
NEWS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
PM paves way for deal with Lib Dems in hung parliament
2 Labour and Conservatives both set out their electoral stalls this week
By Nigel Morris
DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
GORDON BROWN made an unprecedented overture to the Liberal Democrats yesterday amid growing expectation that Nick Clegg's party could hold the balance of power after the general election. As Mr Brown hinted he would go to the country on 6 May, Labour and the Conservatives clashed on the best route
out of the recession, the issue bound to dominate the campaign. The Prime Minister was accused of dishonesty after he refused to say where public spending would have to be cut to tackle the nation's debts. The parties begin to set out their election stalls this week, with Labour promising to improve literacy in pri-
mary schools and the Conservatives pledging to raise hospital standards. A slight fall in the Tory opinion poll lead in recent months has made the election the most unpredictable since 1992. Asked about the possibility of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in the event of a hung parliament, Mr Brown struck an uncharacteristically emollient note towards the party. "There is an agreement of ideas and of course the Liberals, I think, are closer to us on tax and public services," he told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show. Labour would fight "every inch of the way" at the election, he said. But Labour commitments on electoral reform, overhauling the House of Lords and recalling MPs who committed fraud, as well as its approach to the environment and civil liberties, showed his party had "not dissimilar" policies from the Liberal Democrats. Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, said: "Nick Clegg is a capable leader and ideologically I am on broadly the same page as him, as I believe is Gordon Brown." The apparent olive branches came after Mr Cameron also tried to woo the Liberal Democrats by insisting there was "a lot less disagreement than there used to be" between their party and the Tories. The Prime Minister said yesterday he "believed" he would hold a budget in the spring, which would rule out an election in March and suggests he is planning for 6 May. Labour's campaign will seek to paint the party as presenting an optimistic vision of Britain's prospects, contrasting that with Conservative warnings of austerity ahead.
Mr Brown said Labour shared ideals with Nick Clegg's Lib Dems GETTY
Mr Brown gave a fresh sign of a planned "Labour investment versus Tory cuts" election message as he refused to say where spending would be slashed under his plans. He insisted there was enough money to invest in health and schools and said national insurance rises, the abolition of pension tax relief and lower unemployment would cut the deficit. George Osborne, the shadow Chancellor, retorted: "Gordon Brown ... has slipped back into repeating his dishonest nonsense that Labour will go on spending, when his own Treasury figures reveal Labour cuts." Shadow Cabinet ministers will fan out across the country today to campaign in marginal seats, while the Tory leadership will focus on its health plans. Mr Cameron, who is trying to echo Barack Obama by calling for 2010 to be the "year of change", will set out plans to divert billions of pounds of NHS spending to poorer areas. Andrew Lansley, the shadow Health Secretary, will promise to improve services to pregnant women by offering more specialist help in maternity units. Mr Brown and Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, will today announce a guarantee that six and seven-year-olds who struggle with literacy and numeracy will receive intensive help.
MPs invoke 1689 Bill to avoid prosecution
By Nigel Morris
THREE LABOUR MPs are arguing they cannot be prosecuted over expenses claims because they are protected by parliamentary privilege. The trio � Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine � are being represented by a legal firm that has acted as solicitor to the Labour Party since 1990. Their lawyers are understood to maintain that the Bill of Rights of 1689 makes them immune to prosecution. Police have forwarded files relating to the expenses claims of six MPs and peers to the Crown Prosecution Service. Mr Morley and Mr Chaytor both claimed thousands of pounds for "phantom" mortgages they had paid off. Mr Devine submitted invoices for electrical work worth �2,157 from a company with an allegedly false address and an invalid VAT number. Steel & Shamash, a London legal company, confirmed it had instructed two QCs to consider whether the MPs should be protected by parliamentary privilege. "It is their opinion that there are substantial legal and constitutional arguments that this is, in fact, the case," a spokesman for Steel & Shamash told The Sunday Times. "Any possible future involvement of the prosecuting authorities in this instance raises serious constitutional issues that will affect not just our clients but the way parliament itself operates." A total of 400 serving and former MPs were yesterday reported to be facing demands to pay back some of their claims. They range from a few pounds to about �90,000. The number is twice as high as previously calculated. The party leaders have instructed their frontbenchers to comply with repayment demands from Sir Thomas Legg, the auditor who has been scrutinising their expenses claims over the last five years. However, 80 current MPs are appealing against Sir Thomas's demands and their resistance ensures the controversy will drag on until the general election expected in May. Those who lose their appeals and refuse to comply with Sir Thomas risk having the money deducted from their salaries, allowances or pension payments. But the Commons authorities face a headache in dealing with former MPs, with little sanction other than appealing to their better nature or the expensive option of suing for the cash.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS
5
Van Morrison, the website hoax and a mystery Texan
2 Gigi Lee was co-director with singer of at least eight companies
By Arifa Akbar
ARTS CORRESPONDENT
Van Morrison with his wife, Michelle Rocca. The couple have been married for nearly 20 years
REX
VAN MORRISON has been on the same board of directors as the woman alleged to be the mother of his baby for exactly nine months, it has emerged. Gigi Lee was named in a "hoax" announcement of the birth on the singer's website last week. A friend of the music veteran has been widely quoted as claiming the singer did not know Ms Lee, a Texan. But Companies House records show that since 3 April she was a director of at least eight companies which also list the singer as a director. Four days ago, John Saunders, who claims to be a friend of Mr Morrison, said that the singer had never heard of Ms Lee. Mr Saunders, a PR executive, subsequently stated on the Irish radio station, RTE: "I spoke to Van a short while ago and I said, `Do you even know this person?' "He's never heard the name at any stage in the past. He doesn't know who this person is." However, the 42-year-old new mother is listed as a director of eight com-
"For the avoidance of all doubt in the interests of clarity, I'm very happily married"
VAN MORRISON STATEMENT ISSUED LAST WEEK
panies under a Texan address in addition to Mr Morrison at Companies House. The singer is believed to have a vast army of production staff and is thought to be bad at remembering names. A source close to the singer and his wife of nearly two decades, Michelle Rocca, said the couple were "rock solid" in their belief that Mr Morrison had been "stitched up" in an episode that began on 29 December, with an announcement on Mr Morrison's official website that he had fathered Lee's baby boy. Mr Morrison issued a statement two days later denying this, and his team said a hacker had placed the false information on the website, which is currently out of service. A source said yesterday: "Van and Michelle are rock solid on this. It has been upsetting and distressing for both of them. But they are rock solid in their belief that he has been stitched up." The couple are considering legal action. Six days ago, the website statement claimed that Ms Lee had given birth to a baby called George Ivan Morrison III. Mr Morrison issued a statement strongly denying this, which said: "For the avoidance of all doubt in the interests of clarity, I am very happily married to Michelle Morrison with whom I have two wonderful children." He said this was the second time his website had been hacked into in the past three months and added: "I have asked my management team to carry out an immediate investigation." Mr Morrison, who is famously reclusive, met his second wife, a Dublin socialite and former Miss Ireland, in the summer of 1992. She has appeared on one of his album covers. Mr Morrison was not personally available for comment.
Splits appear in Tory election strategy team
By Nigel Morris
DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
SPLITS HAVE emerged within David Cameron's top team over the influence of an adviser on the party's direction. Some shadow ministers are known to resent the casual style of Steve Hilton, the Tory leader's trusted strategy director, who is fond of sending them emails advising them "how to think". Others have protested over colleagues' disloyalty by forwarding copies of his jargon-rich "strategy bulletins" to newspapers. Cameron aides made said last night
there was no prospect of Mr Hilton changing his methods or stopping his emails to senior Tories. Mr Hilton, who is a close friend of David and Samantha Cameron, has been credited with rebranding the party to enhance its green and liberal credentials. With the party stalling at about 39 per cent in the polls � barely enough to win an overall majority at the election � doubts are surfacing over the party's direction. Senior party sources acknowledged there was some discontent over Mr Hilton's access to the Tory leader. But another insisted: "The atmosphere in and around David's office is very good."
6
NEWS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Big freeze brings ice, snow and now potholes
2 Deteriorating road surfaces add to motoring misery in cold spell
By Lewis Smith
AS IF ice and snow were not enough, the Arctic conditions gripping the country are causing roads to break up and potholes to appear. Temperatures have been so low for so long that roads are deteriorating much faster than is normally expected, creating "especially treacherous" driving conditions. Last night, forecasters said there was little sign of an end to the freezing weather caused by a blast of cold air that dumped thick snow across most of Scotland and Northern England. "Very cold air is coming from the Arctic," said Robin Downton, of the Met Office. "Every now and then some warmer air slips in between Iceland and Scotland and that's what's bringing the snow. I can't see any end to it at least until after next weekend." The icy roads have been made more treacherous by potholes. Tens of millions of pounds of damage has already been caused by expansion and contraction of road surfaces as temperatures change, and the final bill could exceed �100m. "It is beginning to be a problem," said Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA. "Potholes are beginning to appear now because of the severe cold damaging the roads. It is widespread pretty much everywhere that has had the cold and frost. "It's inevitable it will happen but having it early in the winter makes the problem worse. Normally it's a spring phenomenon when the rains come but this year we have had the vicious cold for so long it has seeped right into the foundations of the roads. This just adds to the massive backlog of �1bn of repairs that need doing and most authorities have a backlog of years." Breakdown organisations expect today to be one of their busiest days of the past 12 months as many drivers use their cars for the first time since before Christmas. Flat batteries are the biggest cause of breakdown, says the RAC, but tyre damage from driving into potholes, or hitting kerbs after skidding on ice is second. Overnight temperatures were expected to fall to -10C in North Wales, -12C in parts of North-East England, and a bitter -15C in the Scottish Highlands. It is likely to be slightly warmer tonight but only because snow showers are expected to sweep southwards from Scotland through to the South Coast of England. The Pennines and the Peak District are expected to get the most fresh snow but almost everywhere should get at least a sprinkling by lunchtime. Mr Downton said it would remain "bitterly cold" all week with severe frosts overnight. "Daytime temperatures will barely get above freezing," he said. Meanwhile, new year revellers were finally making their way home yesterday afternoon after being stranded at the highest pub in England for three days. About 30 people arrived at the Tan Hill Inn near Reeth, North Yorkshire, on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2010. But wintry weather meant they were snowed in for a further two nights at the pub, which stands 1,700ft (520m) above sea level in the Yorkshire Dales. Peter Richardson, the resident DJ, said: "We have kept our spirits up. It's actually been quite heart-warming." Guests began leaving yesterday after gritters and snow ploughs arrived and cleared the roads.
WEATHER. PAGE 36
Walkers brave snowdrifts on Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons ADAM GASSON
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS
7
Brown comes bottom of best-dressed list
2 It's not the suits, it seems, but the success of the men wearing them that counts
By Arifa Akbar
TAKE A dark suit, a crisp white shirt and a snazzy tie; it might be a recipe for sartorial success for a Hollywood heartthrob, but it's a fashion disaster when worn by Britain's Prime Minister. Or so says GQ, the men's magazine whose staff choose the best- and worst-dressed men of the year. One man in a suit � Gordon Brown � was voted the worst-dressed while another � actor Robert Pattinson � was voted best-dressed. The evidence suggests it is not just the suit that makes the fashion icon but the success of the man inside it: while last year was an unparalleled success for Pattinson, 23, who won hearts with his lead role in the vampire blockbuster Twilight films, it has been less glittering for Britain's embattled premier. Now, his fashion credentials have slumped too, sinking from last year's third worst-dressed to being first in this year's rankings. GQ staff deemed Mr Brown's fashion sense as "anything but a prime example of British style". James Sherwood, a men's fashion writer and author of The London Cut:
The best...
1. Robert Pattinson 2. Take That 3. Alex Turner 4. Fantastic Mr Fox 5. Tom Ford
...and the worst
1. Gordon Brown 2. Russell Brand 3. Nicolas Sarkozy 4. Boris Johnson 5. The Top Gear Team
Savile Row Bespoke Tailoring, said the styles of Gordon Brown and Robert Pattinson can't be judged on a level playing field. "The former is a rather dour, middle-aged prime minister, dressing for his political survival in unassuming made-to-measure suits. "The latter is the hot new Holly-
wood poster boy, dressing to dazzle teenage girls on the world's red carpets in suits most probably chosen by a fleet of stylists," he said. "It would go against every fibre in Brown's body to be identified as well-dressed." The Conde Nastmagazine gave a high vote to the Conservative party leader, David Cameron, who came eighth in
the list of best dressers. Professor Iain Webb, fashion writer and academic at Central St Martins, said Mr Cameron's PR background may inform his slick dressing. "It's probably a case of Cameron wanting to present a total package which gets him on to best dressed lists in magazines like GQ," he said. Mr
Brown was not the only politician to suffer indignity. He was joined by the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, in third place, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, in eighth, and the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, who was likened to "Charlie Chaplin ... with a touch of Laurel and Hardy, more Hardy than Laurel", in fourth.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS
9
General tells of frustration over Iraq funding
2 `Woefully thin' resources meant worsening security was uncontainable
By Michael Savage
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
BRITAIN'S MOST senior military officer appointed to oversee post-war planning in Iraq has said the Government has serious questions to answer about the lack of funds made available for the operation. As Sir John Chilcot's inquiry into the Iraq war prepares to resume tomorrow, Maj-Gen Tim Cross told The Independent that "woefully thin" resources meant troops were unable to deal with worsening security after the March 2003 invasion. His comments raise awkward questions for Gordon Brown, who was Chancellor during the invasion. Maj-Gen Cross, who was embedded in the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance set up by the Bush administration to oversee the reconstruction effort, said he was told by the Government not to commit more resources to the operation. "A lot of senior generals were frustrated that they didn't have sufficient resources," he said. "The message I kept receiving was, do not commit us to spending any resources. I found that quite frustrating. "Asking what resources had we put aside as part of the rebuilding process for Iraq is a fair question to ask. I think when you see that, you realise they are not large amounts of money we are talking about." He criticised both the Prime Minister and Clare Short, then the International Development Secretary, for a British strategy that lacked coherence.
"You have a department of state [the Department for International Development] saying, `We don't think we should be involved in this' [and] a Chancellor saying to the Prime Minister `you can do what you like but you're not having any money'," he said. "You do not get a sense that around that Cabinet table, there was a coherent discussion about what we thought we were doing in Iraq and what we thought should have come out of it. That was my frustration." Maj-Gen Cross added that the failure to provide adequate resources for the reconstruction effort in Iraq formed part of growing tension between the Labour Government and the military. "There is an underlying problem here about a Government that is very keen to engage on the international scene and engage its military capability," he said. "If you're not prepared to put the resources in you can come unstuck. We just didn't have the resources to really hold down the security situation." He said that the problems of postwar planning could not simply be blamed on the low priority given to it by the Bush administration. "There was a serious problem in Whitehall, not a US problem," he said. "My sense was, no one was really taking these discussions very seriously. I do not say that in a sweepingly judgemental way � I'm not saying I was the only person who understood what should have been done. But in Whitehall, it seems to me that there was no single minister of Cabinet rank who was driving this day to day." He added that his questions about the Government's plans on postwar strategy often went unanswered and criticised witnesses at the Iraq inquiry who suggested that officials had other priorities during that period. "My
answer to that is, hang on a minute, we are about to invade a country and go to war. What can be a higher priority?" During his appearance at the Iraq inquiry, Maj-Gen Cross revealed that he had warned Tony Blair two days before the invasion that post-war planning had not been carried out sufficiently and that military action should be delayed. "I was not expecting them to put off the invasion, but I was expecting someone to say that we really need to get a grip on the post-war stuff," he said.
Maj-Gen Tim Cross's evidence raises awkward questions for the Prime Minister who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time of the invasion of Iraq
REUTERS
People power demands: `get tough on Tony Blair'
By Andrew Grice
POLITICAL EDITOR
AN INTERNET-BASED "people power" campaign is asking its 60,000 members to draw up the "tough questions" that Tony Blair must be asked when he is questioned by the Iraq inquiry this year. 38 Degrees, a group set up last year in memory of the Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick, wants to ensure that Mr Blair is not let off the hook or allowed to answer the most sensitive questions in private. Although Sir John Chilcot, the former Whitehall mandarin chairing the inquiry, has insisted that Mr Blair will be questioned mainly in public, critics of the 2003 invasion fear the former prime minister may cite national security in an attempt to ensure some of the hearing is behind closed doors. An initial survey by 38 Degrees found strong demands among its members for Mr Blair to answer these questions: n Why did you insist that Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction were the reason to attack Iraq? n Did the Bush administration threaten, tacitly or otherwise, to withdraw American investment from the UK if it did not support the invasion? n Why was there no strategy to rebuild Iraq following Saddam's overthrow? n What was the total value to the UK
Mr Blair's critics fear he may ask to answer some questions in private
n
and its businesses of contracts arising directly from the Iraq invasion? Why does the UK Government support the creation of new governments which oppress women more than their predecessors did? The results of the survey will be sent to the Iraq inquiry before Mr Blair appears in the next few weeks. David Babbs, executive director of 38 Degrees, said: "Immediately after we launched, thousands of our members petitioned the Prime Minister to demand a full and public inquiry into the war in Iraq. Days later it was announced that it would hear its evidence in public; proof of people power. 38 degrees members are suggesting a list of questions we want Mr Blair to answer. Contribute by visiting 38degrees.org.uk /blair-iraq-questions/."
10 NEWS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Left with a lingering sense of injustice
It is four months since Michael Shields was given a royal pardon for a crime he did not commit. He talks to Jonathan Brown
f Michael Shields thought that the authorities were going to help smooth his return back into normal life, he was sorely mistaken. The combined shortcomings of the British and Bulgarian legal and political systems had already condemned the young Liverpool football fan to serve four-and-a-half years in prison for a crime he did not commit. So when it came to his release, after a prolonged and impassioned campaign by his family and the people of his home city against his wrongful conviction for the attempted murder of a Bulgarian waiter, he was inured to the prospect of being let down again. "If someone commits a crime and they get out of prison I know it's not much help but you do get a probation officer and they keep an eye on you. But no one has ever contacted me. I've never had anything from them, no offer of counselling or an offer of a reason why it happened," he says. It is four months since the quietly spoken 23-year-old became the first Briton to be granted a royal pardon for a wrongful conviction overseas, and in that time he has begun to rebuild his life. Shortly before Christmas, the young engineer found himself a job working on-site for a property management company. Still fit-looking from his time pumping iron at the prison gym, his hair longer now than in the pictures which publicised his campaign, work has provided a welcome change. In the immediate aftermath of his release, he spent long restless days in front of the television at his family home, trying not to mull over the sense of injustice burning away inside him. Life after jail poses considerable challenges for any former inmate. For those wrongly convicted those pressures can be immense. Yet in many ways, admits Mr Shields, he has been lucky. He has a large and protective family and the support of a strong community of neighbours and fellow Liverpool FC fans. The club itself was pivotal in keeping up the pressure over his wrongful conviction, and he celebrated his first match back in the luxury
I
of the directors' box at Anfield. His parents, Michael and Maria, who devoted all their energies to campaigning for his release, are having to adapt too. "They are fine. You can see them getting better. They are smiling more. It affected them more than anyone," Mr Shields acknowledges. "Through my family, I have had time to find my feet," he says. Sitting in the front room of the smart terraced house in the Wavertree area of the city, with its vivid red colour scheme in tribute to Liverpool Football Club, he says he has found it easy to rekindle friendships that were put on ice when he was sentenced to 15 years by the court in Sofia in 2005 (though he declines to discuss whether he is now in a relationship). "The first two months everything happened too fast. I just couldn't take it in ... I couldn't relax. I couldn't sit down and watch the telly. I had to keep myself occupied. The last four weeks have been better." he says. It was on the last day of his firstever trip overseas, to see Liverpool win the Champions League, that normality was suspended for the young engineer, aged just 18 at the time. He was arrested by Bulgarian police investigating a brutal latenight attack on the waiter, Martin Georgiev, who had been punched to the ground and hit on the head with a heavy stone, leaving him severely injured. Failures in the inquiry, notably a flawed identity parade, meant Mr Shields was wrongly picked out. Another Liverpool fan, Graham Sankey, confessed to the assault, although he later withdrew his statement. As protests grew back home, including an emotional display on the Kop at Anfield, the Supreme Court in Sofia in 2006 reduced the sentence on appeal, but refused to grant a retrial. Mr Shields was transferred to finish his sentence in the UK � but not until a benefit concert helped raise the �90,000 needed to pay off his outstanding costs, including �80,000 compensation to the victim. Yet despite the ongoing doubts over the safety of the conviction, and the insistence of the High Court in London to the contrary, Justice
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS 11
Michael Shields is now back at home in Wavertree, Liverpool WARREN SMITH
Secretary Jack Straw remained adamant that it was not in his power to review the case. Following the submission of fresh evidence, Mr Straw eventually recommended a royal pardon. "I thought that it wasn't going to happen. I thought, `He's not going to do it'. I had no faith, or no hope, in Jack Straw whatsoever," Mr Shields recalls. "They should have just looked at the facts of the case. When you look at the facts of the case it is there. When you bring politics into it, and you think these will be upset and those will be upset ... � but we were upset because of the
"The thing that wound me up most was getting no apology"
MICHAEL SHIELDS FREED LIVERPOOL FAN
miscarriage of justice," he says. The Shields family have yet to receive an official apology, and there is still no prospect of compensation. Even getting written confirmation of his pardon required a spectacular degree of effort, Mr Shields recalls. And "The thing that wound me up most was getting no apology. I'm definitely still looking for one, and someone has got to give me one. I think I should get two � one from the British Government for doing nothing about it, and one should come from Bulgaria." Jail was a difficult time for a young
man from a close-knit family who had never been in trouble with the police before: "It was frustrating that no one believes you, or frustrating that no one is doing nothing about it, or frustrating that people have got away with doing this thing to you... There were a few times when I had visits and I'd just say `That's it: just forget about it � I don't want to know'." Now he says he has to force himself to move on � even though the real culprit has never been brought to justice: "I don't think about it. If I do, I get angry and bitter, so I just make myself not think about it," he says. There remain serious obstacles to getting the retrial he seeks � not least that the victim picked him out in court. "It was a horrible thing what happened to him ... It messes with your head. It should be important to the victim to see justice happen too," he says. To help fund the campaign Mr Shields has recounted his own version of events in his book, My Story. He continues to support other people wrongly jailed overseas, working with the campaign group Fair Trials Abroad. But it is the small things he is relishing now. "Four-and-a-half years is a long time, especially when you are young. Sometimes when I'm out, someone will say, `Remember when this happened or then we did this,' and I'll have to say, `I wasn't there � I was away'. Then I'll be left with bad feelings, though I like to think I'm wiser for it," he says. "There were loads of things I missed � every little thing � but the fact that now I can go and see mates, or Saturday night I can just go for a drink... People take things for granted so much."
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS 13
Why parents should keep quiet for the bedtime story
By Richard Garner
PARENTS SHOULD turn the tables on their children and get their offspring to read aloud to them, a leading education troubleshooter claims today. Sir Jim Rose, the former director of inspections at the education watchdog Ofsted, believes that encouraging young children to speak as well as read, both in class and at home, is essential. In an interview with The Independent, he says: "Get them to tell the story as well. Conversation is important to developing reading." A new curriculum devised for primary schools by Sir Jim will be introduced from September 2011, and will stress the importance of developing speaking and listening skills as well as reading and writing. "My grandchildren are always saying `Grandad, tell us a story'," he said. "The adult in that situation is much important than we realised. The adult can stimulate kids to read clearly, too." Sir Jim, whose enquiries for the Government have included how to improve the teaching of dyslexic pupils, and the use of synthetic phonics to learn reading, has a new role as chairman of the CfBT charity's education committee, and will oversee its research programme. He is anxious to look at the use of new technology in the classroom and improving teachers' expertise amid claims that some pupils are better able to make use of computers than their teachers. "There is a lot of self-teaching going on when it comes to learning how to use technology," he said. "Improving teachers' knowledge of it is something we must very definitely keep on the radar." He is worried that public spending cuts over the next few years could see a reversal of the gains made in education in the past decade, particularly the increase in the number of teaching assistants employed in schools. "They have been of great benefit in helping the teacher and I think it would be a pity if we went back to earlier years, when teachers had to do so many of the administrative tasks themselves," he added.
Speaking and listening skills are as vital as the ability to read and write, says the former Osted director of inspections Sir Jim Rose
Baby talk is not as easy as it looks for 17 per cent of children
2 More boys than girls have trouble learning to speak, suggests study
By Richard Garner
EDUCATION EDITOR
ONE IN six children experiences difficulties in learning how to talk, according to a poll published today. Boys are twice as likely to struggle as girls, the survey of more than 1,000 parents also reveals. The poll, conducted by YouGov to coincide with the first day in office of the new Communication Champion for Children Jean Gross, says four per cent of children had still not said their first word by the time they reached the age of three. It showed 22 per cent of boys and 13 per cent of girls were likely to experience difficulties with talking and understanding speech. Only 54 per cent of these received help from a speech or language therapist. The average age for children to start talking was between 10 and 11 months. The most common first word was "dada" (cited by 15 per cent of parents). "Mama" came second at 10 per cent despite children spending more time with their mothers. "Cat" was in third place, being the first word uttered by 2 per cent of children. Unusual first words cited by parents included "beer" and "titsup". The post of Communications
46%
of children likely to experience difficulties received no speech therapy
Champion was set up by Schools Secretary Ed Balls after an inquiry into language and speech disorders among children by John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons. "Our ability to communicate is fundamental and underpins everything else," said Jean Gross. "It is essential that all children get the help they need from skilled professionals as early as possible. "The lack of this is cause for great concern because the results of this poll show that parents place learning to talk and listening as a top priority for their children, whatever their social class, and do a great deal to help them learn to communicate." The majority of children, the survey also showed, did not enjoy looking at picture books with their parents until they were at least six months old. Children from more affluent families were said to enjoy looking at them from an earlier age. Nearly eight out of 10 parents said the best thing to do if a child said a word or phrase incorrectly was to repeat it in the proper way rather than point out the error. Fathers were more likely to correct the child, as were parents from less affluent homes. A spokesperson for the Department of Children, Schools and Families said: "Speech, language and communication are crucial to every child's ability to access education and get the most out of life, which is why we're working closely with the Communications Champion to improve services for children with communication difficulties and help families get the support they need. "It's right that good communication should start at home, and it's vital that it continues at nursery and in school. We're committed to improving the outcomes for children with communication difficulties."
14 NEWS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Deadly animal diseases poised to infect humans
2 Environmental disruption set to trigger new pandemics, scientists warn
By Jeremy Laurance
HEALTH EDITOR
Viral alert Diseases
THE EMERGENCE of HIV, the virus that causes Aids, is blamed on human incursion into the forests of West Africa, driven by pressure of population. Rising demand for food led to the growth of the bushmeat trade, and the slaughter of chimpanzees thought to be the animal reservoir for the HIV virus. People who ate chimpanzee meat, or whose blood got into cuts or wounds, were exposed to novel infectious agents providing the ideal breeding ground for the development of the new disease. Aids is thought to have emerged during the latter half of the last century but was not identified in humans until young gay men began dying of a mysterious illness in San Francisco in the early 1980s. More than 25 million people have since succumbed to the disease. The 30-year Aids pandemic is evidence of the catastrophic damage a virus can do when it jumps the species barrier from animals to humans. But HIV is not alone. There are many other viruses that have crossed the barrier or spread more widely as a result of changes in ecology and climate, causing death on a wide scale.
THE WORLDis facing a growing threat from new diseases that are jumping the human-animal species barrier as a result of environmental disruption, global warming and the progressive urbanisation of the planet, scientists have warned. At least 45 diseases that have passed from animals to humans have been reported to UN agencies in the last two decades, with the number expected to escalate in the coming years. Dramatic changes to the environment are triggering major alterations to human disease patterns on a scale last seen during the industrial revolution. Montira Pongsiri, an environmental health scientist at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, says that previous transitions in human history have had a devastating impact in terms of the spread of disease. "We appear to be undergoing a distinct change in global disease ecology. The recent emergence of infectious diseases appears to be driven by globalisation and ecological disruption," Dr Pongsiri said. He and eight colleagues examined five emerging and re-emerging diseases � malaria, lyme disease (spread by ticks), Hantavirus (spread by mice
Outbreaks of the West Nile virus, spread by mosquitoes, are increasing BLOOMBERG
and rats), West Nile disease (spread by mosquitoes), and schistosomiasis (spread by freshwater snails). They argue that changes in land use, farming practices and climate lie behind the increasing number of outbreaks. The best known example of a disease that jumped the animal-human barrier and went on to cause a global pandemic is HIV, the virus that causes Aids. HIV is thought to have crossed from
chimpanzees to humans in West Africa in the last century and more than 25 million people worldwide have since died from it. The swine flu pandemicthat emerged in Mexico last March also resulted from the mixing of viruses that infected pigs, birds and humans to create a new pandemic strain. Although it turned out to be milder than expected, future flu pandemics are expected in the coming decades that could have higher death rates and infect millions more people. Dr Pongsiri and colleagues say that the number of people who succumbed to infectious diseases plummeted in the developed world during the industrial revolution, but the rise of manufacturing and pollution levels increased the incidence of chronic diseases including cancer, allergies and birth defects. Now, we are in the grip of another epidemiological transition driven by the destruction of plant and animal habitats, the loss of species and changes that have brought more humans into closer contact with animals than at any stage in human history, they say in the journal Bioscience. David Murrell, lecturer in ecology at University College London, said: "Since 1940, over 300 new diseases
"We don't know what's out there or how it might transmit. It's very hard to predict"
DAVID MURRELL LECTURER AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
have been identified, 60 per cent of which crossed to humans from animals and 70 per cent of these came from contact with wildlife. I would expect the emergence of new diseases from contact with animals to continue in this century." A key factor has been increasing urbanisation, which has resulted in humans moving into previously untouched areas where they have come into closer contact with animals. At the same time, globalisation has meant newly emerged diseases have transmitted faster and more widely than in the past. "Before the world became so interconnected, deadly and newly emerged diseases were not capable of spreading widely," Dr Murrell said. "Now it is very possible that they will spread across countries and continents within days, thereby sustaining the outbreak. "We don't know what's out there or how it might transmit. It is very difficult to predict. At least our government, with swine flu, is taking these things seriously now. The problem is if we deal with a threat successfully it leads to complacency. But these things are potentially serious. I would rather err on the side of caution." Jan Slingenbergh, of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, said changes in animal farming have altered the circulation of viruses and bacteria including influenza capable of infecting humans. In countries like China, higher demand for poultry meat has led to a massive rise in populations of domestic wildfowl, he told the Emerging Health Threats Forum. In Southern China alone, there are now around 700 million domestic ducks. In the case of flu, a growing number of viral subtypes have moved from wild animals into farmed and domestic waterfowl, which live in closer contact with humans. A similar expansion in the number of flu strains in pigs has also been seen over the past decade. "At the end of the 1990s, there was just one subtype of swine flu. Now there are three subtypes, each with multiple strains," Dr Slingenbergh added. The behaviour of these new viruses is unpredictable � scientists don't know how likely they are to jump the species barrier into humans. But with more of them circulating, there is a higher chance of this happening, Dr Slingenbergh said. Flu viruses are getting closer to people and food, and agriculture practices are to blame. He said: "There is no evidence to suggest this is going to end any time soon. Agriculture looks set to continue growing for another two decades, and we are only at the beginning of climate change."
Hantavirus
In May 1993, a young, fit Native American in the South-west of the US developed a flu-like illness. He was rushed to hospital in New Mexico, but died very quickly. It was the first recognised case of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease marked by high fever, chills and breathing problems, spread by mice and rats. In addition to the pulmonary illness, which kills four out of five people infected, hantaviruses also cause haemorrhagic fever, resulting in widespread internal bleeding. There is no treatment. One estimate suggests there are between 60,000 and 150,000 cases worldwide a year. Any big increase in mouse numbers, as occurs with urbanisation, increases the risks. The 1993 outbreak in the US followed years of drought, which ended with heavy rainfall. The number of mice multiplied tenfold in a year, increasing the likelihood of their coming into contact with humans. A less severe form of the illness is endemic in northern Sweden, where there are around 4,500 cases a year. Research has also shown that a proliferation of mouse species, many of which are immune to Hantavirus, lowers the risk of the disease. They compete with the hantavirus-infected mice, reducing their numbers and the risk of infection. Biodiversity in the mouse population thus has a protective effect for humans.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS 15
that have spread from animals to humans
West Nile virus
Health workers culling poultry at Shoilpur village near the Indian city of Kolkata. The H5N1 bird flu pandemic spread across the world in 2003 causing widespread panic and has so far killed 260 people REUTERS
The disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, caused panic when it appeared in New York in 1999 and 2000, apparently carried by ships bringing exotic birds into the country for collectors. Central Park was closed and aggressive spraying was carried out to kill the mosquitoes. More than 50 people were hospitalised in New York, and at least 10 died. In 2002, more than 3,700 cases were recorded across the US. The disease is often accompanied by a high fever and headache. In the most extreme cases, the virus can cause encephalitis, which results in an irritation and swelling of the brain. The virus originated in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937. Outbreaks have since been recorded in Israel, Romania, France, Portugal, Italy, Russia and the US, while sporadic cases and outbreaks in humans and horses have occurred in Europe since the 1960s. Hot and dry weather creates the best breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry the virus and pass it along to people they bite, which is the main route of human infection. Recent research has linked the disease with a decline in bird species that carry the disease but don't transmit it, becoming deadend hosts. Changes in land use, through the creation of agricultural land and the loss of bird habitats are thought to increase the incidence of the disease.
Avian flu
Bird flu could become the 21st century plague. The virus, which has devastated flocks of chickens and ducks in the Far East, poses the greatest potential threat to the human race. Since 2004 it has infected 442 people and claimed 262 lives, a 60 per cent death rate. Three times in the last century � in 1918, 1957 and 1968 � and again in 2009 influenza has jumped from birds or pigs to humans claiming � in past pandemics � millions of lives. In the last decade there has been an enormous growth in human and poultry populations in China. Families traditionally occupy the same living space as their birds creating near perfect conditions for the mixing of viruses and their mutation into a strain capable of spreading widely among humans.
Rabies
Rabies is the most lethal disease known with a near 100 per cent fatality rate. It is associated with dogs, but has begun infecting other animals in recent decades thereby increasing the threat to humans. Rabies has been reported in racoons in the US and in Kudu, a species of antelope, in Namibia, southern Africa. In the last year human cases of rabies have been reported for the first time on the holiday island of Bali in Indonesia. The UN has reported a "notable" increase in the number of countries seeking help to control rabies in dog populations in the last year. Humans can be infected when bitten, and preventing transmission between dogs reduces the risk to people.
Malaria
Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes and is confined largely to the tropical and sub-tropical areas of sub-Saharan Africa, India, Bangladesh, South-east Asia and central America. At least 14 people have caught malaria in Britain in the last 30 years as a result of being bitten by mosquitoes that have been brought in on aircraft. Malaria causes at least one million deaths and 300 million cases of fever a year. Ninety per cent of deaths occur in Africa, mostly in young children. The most lethal strain, Plasmodium falciparum is spreading into new regions, and drug resistance is growing. Global warming and changes in plant diversity are expected to extend the geographical presence of the disease to new regions.
16 NEWS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Trials to be held for `road trains' on motorways
2 Hi-tech driving scheme could reduce the fuel use of cars by up to a fifth
By Lewis Smith
YOU ARE speeding along the motorway at 70mph and the driver of your car is reading a newspaper while keeping half an eye on a television and making a phone call. But fear not: you can just sit back and relax because you're in a "roadtrain". Within a decade, this could be a common experience for passengers travelling along Britain's motorways, if trials of a hi-tech car-pooling system prove successful. The technology would enable convoys of up to eight cars to "drive themselves" while linked up by electronic shackles to a lead vehicle. The driver in the vehicle at the front would do all the steering, braking, gear changes and accelerating and his or her decisions would be electronically transmitted to the cars behind. The effect is designed create a train of cars on the road. The system's designers say it would reduce each vehicle's fuel consumption by as much as a fifth thanks to the aerodynamic efficiency of being tucked in just a few feet behind the vehicle in front. Safe Road Trains for the Environment (Sartre) is a European Union initiative funded by its Framework 7 research plan and it should be ready to be tried out on test tracks in Britain, Spain and Sweden by next year. Tests are expected to last for at least three years but once the co-ordinators are satisfied it is working well, they intend to try out the system on public roads in Spain. One of the scheme's major advantages is that most of the required technology already exists and the project team isworking out how to make it work together while ensuring drivers and passengers are at least as safe as if they were driving the car independently.
How the road train works
Electronic navigation and communication systems will be built into cars rather than relying on external infrastructure Once part of the road train a driver is free to read, work on a laptop or daydream
Cars join the rear of the road train after signalling their intention to the lead vehicle
Drivers wanting to leave the convoy signal their intention and then move out, leaving the remaining cars to close up
Gaps between cars are so small that air drag is significantly reduced. The energy saving is expected to be in the region of 20%
Instructions to the cars in the convoy are relayed from the lead vehicle to replicate its movements
Erik Coelingh, technical director of active safety functions at Volvo Cars, which is involved in the project, said: "This type of autonomous driving actually doesn't require any hocus-pocus technology, and no investment in infrastructure. Instead, the emphasis is on development and on adapting technology that is already in existence." The lead vehicle in a roadtrain is expected to be driven by a professional driver, such as a taxi or lorry driver,
who is familiar with the route. Cars wanting to join the moving convoy would be able to link up with the rear vehicle while those drivers wanting to leave would signal their intention before taking back control of the wheel. Once they had pulled out, the remaining cars would close up the gap. Tom Robinson, of the Sussex-based engineering company Ricardo UK, which is also a partner in the Sartre project, said the scheme had the po-
tential to deliver "very significant safety and environmental benefits". In order to join the roadtrains, vehicles would be required to have the necessary navigation and communication technology already built in to them. The scheme is aimed primarily at car drivers who have to travel long distances but the project team will also investigate the practicalities of allowing lorries to join the trains.
EDITORIAL, PAGE 28
LE AD VE
HI
CL
E
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
NEWS 17
Britain in brief
Search Olympic village for drugs, suggests peer
CRIME Police would be able to search Olympic athletes' rooms for performanceenhancing drugs under a new law being proposed for the London 2012 Games. Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association, said the measure was a "necessary" weapon to clamp down on drugs suppliers and cheats in the runup to the Games. The peer also wants international co-operation on intelligence gathering to be made a priority. His Bill seeks to bolster police search
powers so they can look not just for illegal substances but also performanceenhancing drugs. Lord Moynihan said: "If athletes know that could happen, we are going to deter people from cheating and doing themselves harm. It is important that it should be on the statute book." The Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006 were overshadowed by raids on Austria's biathlon and cross-country teams. Italian police received a tip-off from officials and several doping products were found.
Rail ticket staff in 24hr walkout
TRANSPORT Thousands of passengers face ticket disruption on one of the country's busiest rail lines today as 200 Virgin booking-office staff stage a 24-hour strike. Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association union are protesting against planned cutbacks to booking-office window openings on the West Coast Main Line. Euston, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Preston and Glasgow are the stations expected to be the hardest hit. It is anticipated services will be particularly busy today as people return to work after the festive break. A spokesman for Virgin Trains said: "There will be no passengers who miss their trains as a result of the strike. If queues start to build we will give customers permission to get on trains and buy tickets on board."
Upmarket hotel has an extra buzz about it
HOSPITALITY A leading hotel is coping comfortably with half a million extra guests. Hives containing 500,000 bees have been installed on the roof of the Lancaster London, near Hyde Park. The insects supply honey for breakfast and afternoon tea for guests. Pots of honey will also be offered to VIPs and honeymooning guests, while wax from the hives will be used to create candles for gifts. The hives are protected from wind and the hotel hopes the bees will produce about 40kg of honey a year. London is thought to be an ideal place for bees with its variety of flowers, parks and temperate climate. The insects normally forage up to three miles from their colony.
Eleven people injured as building explodes
Eleven people were injured, two of them seriously, when an explosion demolished a block of flats in the centre of Shrewsbury. The building collapsed in what was believed to be a gas explosion at 11.30am yesterday, a spokesman for West Mercia Police said. One of the seriously injured was airlifted to hospital with severe burns while the other was taken to hospital with spinal injuries PA
12 months car insurance for the price of 10*
Car
0800 404 8513
aviva.co.uk
Free contents insurance when you buy buildings insurance
Home
0800 051 4785
aviva.co.uk
Inquest plea from executed Briton's family
DEATH PENALTY The family of Akmal Shaikh, the Briton executed in China last week for heroin smuggling, have called on the Government to order an immediate inquest into his death. Mr Shaikh, 53, pictured above, was killed by lethal injection on 29 December despite pleas for clemency. Yesterday, his brother Akbar wrote to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, asking him to call for an inquest to be held in England to help to answer "many unanswered questions surrounding Akmal's death".
Get the Aviva deal
Travel
0800 056 0954
Pet
direct
Not on price comparison sites Buy
0800 656 9723
Van
0800 092 3948
aviva.co.uk
Calls may be recorded and/ or monitored
* This offer is available to you if you are a new customer with 4 or more years no claims discount. You'll need to provide us with written confirmation of your claim free status (your current insurer can help you with this). The offer excludes any additional covers and may be withdrawn at any time. Aviva may decline to quote in some circumstances and age restrictions may apply. This offer is available to you if you are a new customer with 3 or more years claim free status. You'll need to provide us with written confirmation of your claim free status (your current insurer can help you with this). There's a minimum premium for buildings insurance and a minimum excess applies. Free contents cover is up to �50,000 when you buy buildings insurance. The offer doesn't include any optional covers and may be withdrawn at any time. Inde.Multi
19
Despite Suu Kyi's inspiration Burmese are gloomy over election prospects
Page 20
World News
THE INDEPENDENT
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
America and Britain shut down embassies in Yemeni capital
2 `Possible attack' on mission cited after US said it would double security aid to embattled Arab state
By Guy Adams
CITING THE "ongoing threat" of another terrorist attack, and saying it was "not going to take any chances with the lives of staff", the United States has closed its embassy in Yemen, in a move that adds to a rising sense of urgency about the threat from Islamic extremists in that country. Britain and Spain swiftly followed suit, urging foreign nationals there to be especially vigilant. Militants linked to al-Qa'ida, who control large areas outside the major cities, have been held responsible for the failed Christmas day bomb plot in the US. A statement on the website of the US embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, did not say how long the closure would last. The British Foreign Office said its buildings there were closed for "security reasons". Spain's will remain shut until Wednesday, the newspaper El Mundo reported. John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism chief, toured US news studios yesterday discussing Yemen's role in the failed plot to blow up an airliner over Detroit. He said Yemen must do more to tackle its homegrown extremists."We are very concerned at al-Qa'ida's continued growth there," Mr Brennan said, adding that US security agencies in Yemen had recently received credible intelligence that the group is "planning to carry out an attack against a target inside of Sanaa, possibly our embassy". The US has announced that it will double the roughly $70m (�43m) in security aid it gives annually to Yemen, while the UK government revealed that Washington and London will jointly fund a counter-terrorism police unit there. Gordon Brown yesterday added that Britain will host an international conference in London, on 28 January, to come up with an international strategy for dealing with the apparently critical threat from extremists based
Yemen Gulf gateway
n
In 1839, Britain took control of Aden, a port off Yemen's southern coast, later making it a British protectorate. After the Suez Canal opened in 1869 Aden was a vital port on the route between Britain and India.
IRAQ JORDAN KUWAIT QATAR S A U D I SUDAN A R A B I A
I R A N
The Gulf
U.A.E.
Red Sea
ERITREA
OMAN
YEMEN
Sanaa Aden
DJIBOUTI
Arabian Sea
n
North Yemen SOMALIA was part of the 0 300 ETHIOPIA Ottoman Empire MILES until 1918, and became a republic in 1962 after an army coup. Southern Yemen gained its independence five years later, going on to become the People's Republic of South Yemen, and in 1970 Marxists took control of the government there. The North and the South fought a war until 1990, when the two sides unified as the Republic of Yemen. In 1994 southern separatists tried unsuccessfully to break away.
n
Yemeni soldiers on guard outside the US embassy in Sanaa in 2008 EPA
in the Arabian country. "We've got to recognise that we have a group of young people who have been radicalised as a result of teaching by extreme clerics," Mr Brown told the BBC's Andrew Marr. "We're fighting a battle for hearts and minds here as much as anything else," he said, adding that as Yemen is a "failing state" Western nations have to be "careful" whom they help. The international conference will, he said, discuss ways to "prevent the perversion of a good religion, Islam, by a group of people who will stop at nothing in a murderous ideology that tries to create the sense the sense that everybody is an enemy except those who believe a particular version of Islam." In a separate move that may add to delays for flyers, the Prime Minister
added that UK airports will "gradually" install full body scanning at security checkpoints. Passengers "will see checks for explosive traces," he said. "We've recognised that there are new forms of weapon being used by al-Qa'ida, so we've got to respond." Yemen has faced heavy scrutiny over recent days after the arrest of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerianborn student who smuggled explosives concealed in his underpants onto Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in the US, and came close to detonating a bomb that would have been likely to kill all 278 people on board. Mr Abdulmutalab, who was apparently radicalised while attending university in London, has told US interrogators that he was trained in
Yemen by a group called "al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula". He said the organisation boasts "many more" potential terrorists in its ranks. US President Barack Obama used his weekly address on Saturday to talk up the threat from Yemen and to vow that those responsible would be brought to justice. But that presents severe logistical problems, since the mountainous country's government has only a tenuous grip on many regions, particularly in its North-west. At the weekend, General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, travelled to Sanaa, where he met with Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss boosting security in the country, which is the ancestral homeland of Osama Bin
Laden and has seen a string of attempted attacks on US assets there. In 2000, the Yemeni port of Aden was the location of the suicide attack on the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors. In the past two years there have been at least four attempted attacks on the US embassy in Sanaa.
`Outsiders need to work with the grain of Yemeni society'
Editorial, page 28
`Jihadists have been at liberty to regroup'
Victoria Clark, page 29
This ugly fortress proves the US does not expect affection
Patrick Cockburn
Analysis
THE US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which has just closed its doors because of the al-Qa'ida threat, is a spectacularly ugly building that has been designed as a fortress to withstand a military assault.
It is easy to understand why the State Department may be feeling nervous about the embassy's security. It was the target of two vehicles packed with explosives driven by suicide bombers in September 2008 in an attack in which 19 people were killed, one of them an American woman. At the start of the US invasion in Iraq in 2003, demonstrators tried to storm it and two were killed. Last year three mortar bombs were fired at the building, all of which missed and hit a girl's school instead, killing a security guard.
The architecture is the fruit of security reviews that see embassies as concrete bunkers built to withstand attack in a hostile land and not as a centre for spreading goodwill towards America. This is hardly surprising considering the fate of US embassies from Tehran to Beirut. The closure of the embassy may also reflect realism among US diplomats in Sanaa over the ability of the central government to defend them despite proffered aid from the US and an American-British Yemeni counter-terrorism force.
When I visited the embassy some years ago, staff wrestled with heavy internal doors, which that looked as if they had come from the vaults of a bank, and elaborate security measures which seemed to paralyse its functioning. It seemed a gloomy place to live and one from which it would be almost impossible to work. The US and Britain may come to regret intervening in Yemen, which is very much an Arab Afghanistan with state authority contested in many parts of the country. The establishment of an anti-terrorism
squad of foreign trained Yemeni security men will be a double-edged sword as the Yemeni government will seek to portray its many enemies, be they Shia insurgents in the north or secessionists in the south, as allies of al-Qa'ida. The closure of the US embassy also underlines how vulnerable these facilities are in the age of the suicide bomber. To defend them at all means, as in Baghdad, turns them into a heavily defended foreign enclave which is resented locally and becomes a physical symbol of imperialist designs.
20 WORLD
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Burmese gloomy over election year prospects
2 Some of Asia's poorest people will get to vote for the first time in 20 years
By Phoebe Kennedy
IN RANGOON
WINDS OF change are whistling through Asia's most entrenched military dictatorship. Twenty years after the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's democrats were cruelly cheated of power after winning a general election by a landslide, Burma is to have another election some time in 2010. After years in the deep freeze, relations with the US are thawing thanks to President Barack Obama's new policy of engagement. And although Ms Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, recent initiatives by the regime have hinted at movement even there. But for Burma's impoverished people, all of this is so much eyewash. Violent crackdowns, mass arrests and crippling economic decline have robbed them of hope. Ideas about democracy and freedom are a luxury they cannot afford; the daily preoccupation is survival. Min Zaw is 28. At his home in a run-
down suburb of Rangoon, he makes caramel puddings in little plastic pots and sells them wholesale to small shops and street stalls. "My life is all about small economic calculations. It's all I think about," he said as he walked through the covered market on colonial Rangoon's 18th Street to buy sugar. He will buy a big bag for a week and haul it back home on the bus, together with cardboard trays of broken eggs that he buys at a discount. Mr Zaw aims to make a profit of 5,000 kyat (�3.10) per day, a handsome wage in Burma where most people earn less than 60p, but that depends on everything running smoothly. Electricity in Rangoon is rationed to five or six hours a day and, if the power goes out at the wrong time, he may have to
"I am still interested in politics but I have to earn money so I cannot get involved"
MIN ZAW CONFECTIONERY WHOLESALER
run a costly generator. At the end of each month, as people wait for their next pay packet, demand for his puddings tails off sharply. Some days he makes nothing at all. In 2007, recently out of university, Mr Zaw joined the democracy demonstrations led by Burma's Buddhist monks and dreamed of an end to military oppression and a brighter economic future. But the Saffron Revolution was crushed by force and nearly broke his business. "All the shops were closed. People were scared and quiet. I couldn't sell anything," he recalled. "I am still interested in politics but I have to earn money, so I can't get involved." Burma's generals have held power since 1962 and built personal fortunes from the sale of the country's abundant natural resources � oil, gas, teak and gems. But their people are among Asia's poorest and cannot rely on their rulers for anything. While the generals have spent billions on their shiny new capital, Naypyidaw, spending on public healthcare accounts for a miniscule 0.3 per cent of the national budget. International attention remains focused on the plight of Ms Suu Kyi, the 64-year-old Nobel laureate and democracy icon. This week, Gordon
Most Burmese earn less than the equivalent of 60p per day SOE ZEYA TUN/REUTERS
Brown sent her a new year message, praising her courage and selflessness. In his letter, the British Prime Minister urged Burma's rulers to ensure that elections were free and fair. But under a new constitution approved in 2008, the military would hold 25 per cent of seats in the new parliament and would reserve the right to dissolve it. As a result, many ordinary citizens have already dismissed the vote as a sham, saying it will merely cement the power of the junta. Thu Zar, a clerk at a government office in Rangoon, bows
her head and giggles with her friend when I ask her whether she thinks the elections will bring change. She looks up, shaking her head slowly from side to side. "There will not be any change," she says firmly. For ordinary Burmese, Ms Suu Kyi has become an almost mythical symbol of change. "[She] is important because we have no one else," says Ko Aung, 31, a university lecturer. "We want her to be free. We don't know if she will give us more opportunities but apart from her we have no one, we have nothing."
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
WORLD 21
Professional models barred from German mag
2 `Brigitte' recruits ordinary women to star in its fashion shoots
By Tony Paterson
IN BERLIN
Brigitte has recruited amateur models, left, for its fashion features, after banning professionals
NORMALLY SHE teaches history at a Hamburg grammar school, but elaborately made up to look like Marlene Dietrich and wearing a 480 (�425) silk dress, Sybille Zschaber was yesterday all over the fashion pages of Germany's most popular women's magazine as it began its ban on professional models. The 29-year-old blonde teacher was among a cast of more than six "normal women" selected by the mass circulation middle-market Brigitte to pose for its January fashion feature following an editorial pledge by the magazine to keep controversial size-zero models off its pages. Andreas Lebert, editor of the 700,000-circulation magazine, announced the ban last October after receiving letters from hundreds of women readers who complained that they had no connection with the models shown in the magazine and that they no longer wanted to see "protruding bones". He claimed that the models Brigitte used for years on its fashion pages were so skinny that editors had to "fatten them up" using Photoshop, the image-manipulation computer soft-
ware program. "This is disturbing and perverse and what has it got to do with our real readers ?" he asked. Brigitte declared that it would in future invite "normal women" to feature as models on its pages. "It is not a question of them suddenly becoming models," Mr Lebert said
in an interview yesterday. "They simply step out of their normal lives for a moment and present fashion for us as personalities," he insisted. The magazine's January edition, which went on sale throughout Germany at the weekend, is the first to do so without professional models, al-
though these still appear in advertisements. The women photographed for its fashion feature pages are a deliberately mixed bunch. Apart from Ms Zschaber's attempt at Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte contains glossy images of a 21year-old hotel receptionist from Capri, a 28-year-old restaurant owner from
Hamburg, a 45-year-old Icelandic artist, and a 21-year-old economics student. Each has clearly received the full attention of professional make-up artists and fashion photographers, yet there is the odd detail that reveals the models are amateur, not professional: the Capri receptionist has a slight paunch and the 45-year-old Icelandic artist has a face well-endowed with wrinkles. But many of the others might be mistaken for professionals at first glance. Brigitte launched its "normal women as models" campaign late last year and claims that some 20,000 of the magazine's readers have since put themselves forward as potential candidates. The magazine says that it pays its amateurs professional rates The magazine's campaign has already provoked controversy. Karl Lagerfeld, the veteran German fashion guru, has described those who criticise so-called skinny models as "fat, chip-eating mummies" and claims that much of the objection to them is sheer jealousy. "Nobody wants to see a round woman," the 71-year-old designer insisted.
22 WORLD
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Antarctic's first plane found in ice
In 1912 Australian explorer Douglas Mawson planned to fly over the southern pole. His lost plane has now been found. Kathy Marks reports
The Vickers aircraft on the Australian antarctic expedition of 1912 AP
R
are things happen once in a blue moon, and on New Year's Day a blue moon, coupled with an exceptionally low tide, uncovered a long-sought treasure in the frozen wastes of Antarctica: one of the world's earliest aeroplanes, entombed in ice for decades. The plane � the first off the Vickers production line in Britain � was built in 1911, only eight years after the Wright brothers executed the first powered flight. It was taken to Antarctica by Douglas Mawson, the Australian explorer, but abandoned in 1914 after its engine seized up during attempts to use it as an "air tractor", or motorised sledge. For the past three years, a team of Australian explorers has been engaged in a fruitless search for the aircraft, last seen in 1975. Then on Friday, a carpenter with the team, Mark Farrell, struck gold: wandering along the icy shore near the team's camp, he noticed large fragments
of metal sitting among the rocks, just a few inches beneath the water. Tony Stewart, the field leader, said: "The carpenter just ambled in and said, `I think I might have found the air tractor,' like he'd just picked up a newspaper at the local store. You haven't seen us move so quickly in a long time." It was part of the fuselage of the historic plane, exposed by a blue moon (the second full moon in a calendar month), the lowest tide ever recorded at that site and an unprecedented melting of ice. "It was probably one chance in a million that these conditions just allowed us to spot it," said David Jensen, the chairman of the Mawson's Huts Foundation, the Australian government-backed organisation that led the search. Mawson had hoped to stage the first flight over the Antarctic ice cap, but the plane crashed on the Australian mainland before he set sail. No one was hurt, but with the wings damaged and no time to repair them, the explorer adapted the craft to haul
NEW ZEALAND
Sydney
AUSTRALIA
Cape Denison
SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN
ANTARCTICA
South Pole SOUTH AMERICA
SOUTHERN OCEAN
AFRICA
"He just ambled in and said: `I think I might have found the air tractor' like he'd just picked up a paper"
TONY STEWART MAWSON HUTS FOUNDATION
his sledges, adding skis to the undercarriage and a special tail-rudder. After the Vickers' engine failed in sub-zero temperatures, Mawson dumped it at Cape Denison, at the head of Commonwealth Bay. It was still sitting on the ice when he returned in 1929 and 1931, and in 1975 it was photographed after a big ice melt. But without the "fluke" conditions on New Year's Day, it could have disappeared without trace, said Mr Jensen. "The tide would have come in and we would never have seen it again," he said. "It's a remarkable find in remarkable circumstances." Mr Jensen said the plane, rediscovered almost a century after being abandoned, was "part of aviation history". Having used magnetic imaging equipment to search for it, conservationists were getting ready to drill into the ice in conditions including 50mph winds and below-freezing temperatures. "Luck was on our side, without a doubt," Dr Stewart said. Considered one of the great polar explorers, Mawson, from Yorkshire,
joined the Nimrod Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton in 1907, and was later a member of the first team to reach the South Magnetic Pole. He led an expedition to Antarctica from 1911-14, during which a member of his three-man team fell into a massive crevasse, along with six dogs and most of the food and supplies. The other two men were forced to eat some of the surviving dogs. Mawson's companion died after suffering frostbite and seizures, and he completed the final 100 miles back to base alone. The plane, the first to be taken to a polar region, was crashed by its hungover pilot during a test flight over Australia. He was sent home to Britain in disgrace. Now the Australian Antarctic Division is deciding whether to repatriate the Vickers for specialist conservation work, or leave it at Cape Denison. Mawson removed the aircraft's wings before transporting it to Antarctica, and its engine was later sent back to Vickers. But pieces of the fuselage were left behind.
Malaysia will fight Christians' right to call God `Allah'
By Sean Yoong
IN KUALA LUMPUR
THE MALAYSIAN government is to challenge a court ruling which decreed that Christians have a constitutional right to use the word Allah to refer to God. Last week's High Court verdict sparked small, peaceful protests by Muslim groups and raised fears of friction between the Malay Muslim majority and the large ethnic Chinese
and Indian minorities, who mainly practise Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. Jamil Khir Baharom, the minister responsible for Islamic affairs, said at the weekend that the prime minister's department would file an appeal against the verdict. However, he called upon Muslims to respect the court's decision and for all parties to be patient and allow the dispute to be resolved through the legal process. The High Court's decision struck down a government ban on non-
Muslims translating God as Allah in their literature. Minorities welcomed the move as a blow against what many consider to be institutionalised religious discrimination. The court ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed in late 2007 by The Herald, the Roman Catholic Church's main publication in Malaysia. The government ban affected the newspaper's Malay-language edition, read mostly by indigenous tribes who converted to Christianity decades ago. The verdict has divided Muslim
commentators. Some agree with the government's insistence that Allah is an Islamic word that should be used exclusively by Muslims and that its use by other religions would be misleading. However, other Malaysian Muslim scholars say non-Muslims should be free to use the word. Efforts by Christians to use Allah in Malay-language literature have been perceived by some Muslims "as a plot to convert Malay Muslims to Christianity", Anas Zubedy, a popular Muslim blogger on social and political
issues, wrote after the court verdict, adding his support of the ruling. The former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said the government should set strict conditions for the use of the word Allah to ensure that the court verdict did not trigger religious tensions. "What I am afraid of is that the term `Allah' might be used in such a way that could inflame the anger of Muslims," he said. Officials recently confiscated 10,000 copies of Malay Bibles because they contained the word Allah. AP
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
WORLD 23
British troops `will be led by Afghans'
2 Despite a recent attack, the `Afghanisation' of the war is moving to a new phase
By Kim Sengupta
DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT
BRITISH TROOPS are likely to take part in operations led by Afghan commanders as part of the strategy to prepare the country's forces to take over the security of their country. Nato forces are moving from `mentoring' to `partnering', with the setting up of joint headquarters in which senior Afghan officers will play a full part in drawing up plans for missions, as well as taking the lead role in some of them. The new initiative was revealed to The Independent by a senior British commander of Nato forces in the country, two months after five British soldiers were killed by an Afghan policeman they were mentoring. A Canadian platoon has already taken part in an operation led by Afghan
forces, and its successful outcome is seen as pointing the way towards the future shape of the conflict. US President Barack Obama, Britain's Gordon Brown and other Western heads of government have stated that "Afghanisation" remains the key plank in the exit strategy from the war. A number of major operations to clear Taliban fighters from areas of Helmand Province have been delayed while Afghan forces are made ready to take over security on reclaimed ground. British forces will train an extra 10,000 Afghan soldiers in Helmand following an agreement reached between Mr Brown and Afghan President Hamid Karzai during the UK Prime Minister's recent visit to the country. The first joint headquarters is likely to be set up in Kandahar Province, to the east of Helmand, with General Shir Mohammed Zazai, commander of the Afghan army's 205th Corps, working alongside Major-General Nick Carter, the British commander in charge of 45,000 UK, US and other Nato forces in southern Afghanistan, the main battleground against the
An Afghan National Army soldier patrols with a British soldier in Musa Qala, Helmand province GETTY
insurgency. Maj-Gen Carter told The Independent, "We have the technical expertise, the professionalism and the fire power. But it is also the case that we are blind in certain aspects of Afghan life. So what the Afghan forces bring provides us with a tremendous advantage. "We shall be in a supporting role in
operations with the Afghan forces, and obviously every mission would be carefully considered ... A lot will depend on the calibre of the Afghan commanders. Some have been educated abroad, some have now spent a lot of time with Nato forces and thus are familiar with the way we operate. But there are problems in some places with things like
literacy among junior soldiers ... This is being addressed; we are running literacy classes which have been hugely beneficial." Maj-Gen Carter acknowledged that the killing of five British soldiers by an Afghan policeman had led to some distrust. But he said he was "not aware" of any apprehension among British troops at being involved in possible Afghanled operations. If there was unjustified opposition, he said, "I will stamp down on it hard, and then take those concerned to show where it is working. "Partnering the Afghan forces is the way forward," he went on. "The politicians back home would like to see some progress being made by the spring, and I think we are on course for that. But it is not just a military matter, we need to see governance taking root as well, and it is essential that we get good district governors." He said stringent checks have been introduced in an attempt to prevent another such attack.
Problems pile up for Nigeria as sick President stays out of view
By Daniel Howden
AFRICA CORRESPONDENT
NIGERIA HAS begun the new year in the grip of a constitutional crisis as the mystery over the health of its President, who is believed to be in hospital in Saudi Arabia, deepens. No one knows who is running Africa's most populous country, prompting warnings that a dangerous power vacuum is developing in a country with a long history of military coups. President Umaru Yar'Adua has been out of the country for more than a month, but his medical condition remains unclear and there is no agreement on a succession. Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, who has not had
"Mr President... has maintained interest and optimism"
GOODLUCK JONATHAN VICE-PRESIDENT
executive power signed over to him, has been reduced to giving vague reassurances such as "the ship of state continues to sail". The 58-year-old president, known as "Baba Go-Slow" to many in Nigeria due to the sclerotic pace of reform, has a long-standing kidney complaint and was flown to a clinic in the Saudi city of Jeddah on 23 November with chest pains. He has since been diagnosed with acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane around the heart that restricts its action. No further details have been revealed about his condition. Lawyers are pushing for an independent medical examination to establish his fitness to govern. The election of Mr Yar'Adua, a Muslim and northerner, saw the first democratic transition of power since Nigeria's independence and was meant to signal a new era. But election observers concluded that the poll was seriously flawed. Mr Yar'Adua � who was chosen by the ruling party and previous president, Olesegun Obasanjo � had to fight off nearly two years of legal challenges from those demanding a rerun. The uncertainty over his health has come as Nigeria faces a security crisis over the would-be Christmas Day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Meanwhile the fragile peace in the oil-rich Niger Delta is in danger of unravelling, and two of the country's largest oil partners, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell, whose activities underpin the economy, are renegotiating terms. Addressing the nation on New Year's Day, the Vice-President said, "Although Mr President has been away from us for some time on account of a medical condition, he has maintained sustained interest and optimism ... We are hopeful Mr President would return to us before long." This has done little to convince the opposition that Nigeria is not in a dangerous drift. "The vacuum in governance is doing untold damage," said opposition spokesman Lai Mohammed.
24 WORLD
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
World in brief
Mexico captures drug lord's `key' brother
MEXICO CITY Police have captured the brother of the drugs lord whom Government troops killed last month in a shoot-out. The Public Safety Department said that Carlos Beltran Leyva was arrested in Culiacan, the capital of the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, where he and several of his brothers were born and started their gang. On 16 December, his brother Arturo, the chief of the Beltran Leyva cartel, died during a two-hour shootout with marines in the
Thanksgiving `killer' arrested at motel
WESTON, FLORIDA A man accused of killing four relatives at a Thanksgiving holiday dinner was captured at a motel in the Florida Keys where police said he had eluded authorities for about a month by checking in under a fake name and address, and hiding his car with a cover. Paul Merhige, 35, was arrested without a struggle on Saturday after the television show America's Most Wanted aired, eliciting the tip that led to Merhige's capture on Long Key, Jupiter Police Sergeant Scott Pascarella said. "I'm elated that the monster is in the cage," Jim Sitton, the father of 6-yearold victim Makayla Sitton, said. "We don't have to worry about him killing my wife or my father-in-law. It doesn't bring my daughter back, but this chapter is over." AP
city of Cuernavaca. He was the highestranking drug suspect eliminated since President Felipe Calderon sent tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police across the country three years ago to fight brutal drug gangs. Mexican officials have in the past described Carlos Beltran Levya, 40, as a key gang member. He was arrested on Wednesday when he was found to be carrying a false driver's licence but the capture was revealed only late on Saturday. AP
Tall storeys in Dubai
The world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, will be officially opened today. The structure stands higher than 2,600ft, almost 1,000ft taller than the previous record holder, Taiwan's Taipei 101 EPA/ALI HAIDER
President Zuma to marry his third wife
JOHANNESBURG The South African president's office says he is set to formalise his marriage to his third wife in a traditional wedding ceremony today. In a statement released yesterday, the presidency said President Jacob Zuma, 67, and Tobeka Madiba, 36, will take part today in a private family ceremony. The office requested that media "allow the family the privacy that they are entitled to". Ms Madiba attended Mr Zuma's inauguration ceremony in May. The president has two other wives and 19 children. His embrace of Zulu traditions � including polygamy � has endeared him to many South Africans. AP
Four years on, Sharon still comatose
JERUSALEM Four years after a devastating stroke, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains in a coma. Dov Weisglass, a close friend of the former leader, says the 81-year-old Sharon's vital signs are good. But he says it is not clear whether he will ever regain consciousness. In 2005, Sharon shocked his supporters by withdrawing all Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip, ending 38 years of military rule of the territory. Riding a wave of popularity, Sharon appeared to be well on his way to reelection when he suffered a stroke months later, on 4 January 2006. AP
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
CHRISTMAS CHARITY APPEAL WORLD 25
Building an Ethiopian miracle, one fried doughnut at a time
By Paul Vallely
IN NAZARET, ETHIOPIA
THE
IT WOULD be easy to get the wrong impression about Kibnash Tolossa. She sells doughnuts for a living from a corrugated lean-to in front of her home. The floor is mud. The greenpainted walls look as if they have not had a lick of paint for a decade. The half-dozen little tables under the canopy are ramshackle affairs, as are the chairs and benches which surround them. But do not be fooled. Look more closely. The furniture may be old and battered, but it is of good quality. The floor in the cooking area is tiled. Electricity plugs may dangle crazily from the ceiling, but at least that shows the place has power. And the flow of well-dressed customers for her tea and cakes is steady. Kibnash Tolossa � a fine figure of a woman with, as she puts it, "a goodly bit of flesh on my bones" and a handsome red robe � embodies the changes that are transforming Ethiopia from the destitute place it was 25 years ago, when a million people starved to death, to a nation which The Economist predicts will be among the five fastest-growing economies in the world in 2010. And she is a testimony to the fact that aid can kickstart such changes. A decade ago, Kibnash was poor but now has 70,000 birr (�3,400) in the bank. Her shop is off a dusty alleyway near the main street in the provincial town of Nazaret. It is in such unprepossessing places that lives are being transformed. And a meeting of 170 women in a big hall down the road gives a strong clue as to how it is happening. These are the people Kibnash rubs shoulders with as she works, women who prepare the vegetables, drink and bread which are sold on the streets. They have gathered for the annual meeting of a save-and-borrow club. They scraped together the two birr (less than 10 pence) a week needed to join � and they have prospered as a result. The formation of these save-andborrow clubs has been supported by the British development agency ActionAid, one of the three charities to which Independent readers are making donations through this year's Christmas Appeal. They are playing a crucial role in allowing poor people to haul themselves out of hand-tomouth penury. Their stories are similar to that of Kibnash, who 10 years ago began making a few extra injera � the local
CHRISTMAS APPEAL2009
sourdough pancake bread � when she was preparing food for her family. She sold the extra on the streets. "A local hotel asked me to make theirs," she recalls, "but I was constrained in how many I could make because I could not afford to buy much grain or firewood." So she went to local loan-sharks and borrowed a little from them, even though their rates were exorbitant. Then the credit union began. "You could get a loan, but you had to save for six months first. I couldn't afford the two birr every week, but I managed, borrowing from friends when I didn't have the money." Six months on she was allowed to apply for a loan � of 10 times her savings, so long as the union approved her business plan. Local staff from an ActionAid partner, Vision, helped her do that. With the money she bought tef, the local grain, in bulk, at half the price she had paid previously, and began to work fullWith access to low-cost credit and hard work, Kibnash Tolossa has boosted her standard of living
INDEPENDENT
"My business is such a success that I have taken on two more staff"
KIBNASH TOLOSSA NAZARET CREDIT UNION MEMBER
time. The hotel wanted all she could produce. She took on an assistant. Kibnash proved an acute businesswoman. After a year, she realised she had outgrown the hotel and switched to providing snacks for a nearby school which had 3,000 students. For four years it brought in an increased profit. But as the profile of pupils at the school changed, and the rent there rose, the business fell away. She decided to switch tack again. "I had been increasing my savings and my loans as the years went by. But now I borrowed 3,500 birr (�170) to buy a doughnut frying machine and set up this tea-shop," she says proudly, gesturing around the little tea-shop at the front of her home. It is such a success that she has taken on two more staff. "I am keeping on borrowing because loan-taking is essential to
the life of the credit co-operative and the interest rate is the lowest anywhere," she adds. Because one woman's repayments fund the next set of loans for her friends and neighbours, peer group pressure keeps the default rate extraordinarily low. Kibnash has just taken 6,000 birr (almost �300) from her account to buy a new fridge freezer. "Come and see it," she says proudly, taking me into her home. Inside she also has two sofas, four armchairs, a coffee table, TV set and CD player, and a large sideboard. "It's full of best crockery � for guests," she says. Such are the hallmarks of a woman of means in middle-class Ethiopia. The co-operative has now set up a purchasing sub-co-operative through which members buy food grain, flour, bread and onions. "Everyone in the credit union has moved from a hand-to-mouth existence to being able to feed their family healthily and send their kids to school," says Balay Fanta, from the local council. "It's a model co-operative". Now the union has taken a giant step, buying a downtown shopping mall jointly with other unions. "We bought the complex with a loan from the banks," says another credit union veteran, Bogalech Wondimu, who chairs the shopping mall venture, "but in 18 months we will have paid for it completely. Then we will be able to offer members access to the units in the mall at a discounted rent. And it will bring in 2.4m birr (�117,000) a year in rents." Kibnash, for all her business nous, still finds it hard to take on board: "To have gone from selling on the streets to being part-owner of a shopping mall in just 10 years is little short of a miracle," she says. "But a poor woman who begins saving with the credit union today could do the same thing. " ActionAid likewise is pledged to set up more of these credit unions, so that women like Kibnash are lifted out of poverty and need not ask for charity � ever again.
THE
CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2009
Yes, I want to help.
Here is my gift to the Independent Christmas Appeal:
INDEPENDENT
P P P P P
�10 �25 �100 �500
Card number Valid from Expiry Date
other � ........................
Please make cheques payable to The Independent Christmas Appeal We accept Mastercard/Visa/Maestro/CAF Card ( delete as appropriate)
PPPP/PPPP/PPPP/PPPP PPP PP/PP PP/PP PP
Issue No. Signature....................................................................... Date ...................................
Maestro only Maestro only
Please complete your details below:
Title ............ First name ........................... Surname ................................................. Address ..................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................... Postcode ........................................ Tel .......................................... Email* ....................................................................... Please tick this box if applicable
P
I am a UK taxpayer & I agree to ActionAid, Computer Aid International and Peace Direct claiming tax on all donations I make from today and during the six years prior to this date. Please treat my donations as Gift Aid donations. By ticking this form, I confirm that I am paying an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that ActionAid, Computer Aid International & Peace Direct will reclaim on my donations in the tax year ( 6th April this year to 5th April next year). N.B. We can only claim Gift Aid if you have filled out your address details. We will not sell or swap your personal details with any other organisations. ActionAid, Computer Aid International and Peace Direct would like to keep you informed about our vital work and how you can get involved. If you do not wish to receive this information please tick the box *Please complete if you are happy for us to contact you by email.
P
Please return to: The Independent Christmas Appeal, c/o ActionAid, FREEPOST BS4868, Chard, Somerset TA20 1BR To give by phone, call our special appeal hotline: 0800 0214 055
OR to make an online donation please visit
www.independent.co.uk/appeal
Registered Charity numbers: ActionAid 274467 Computer Aid 1069256 Peace Direct 1123241
LIMITED OFFER
CHOOSE YOUR FREE MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION
WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT
When you take out a subscription to The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, you'll pay just �5 a week. You'll receive fresh, incisive journalism, thought-provoking commentary, sports coverage and in-depth features, every day of the week.
With your subscription, you can also choose a free magazine subscription from one of our chosen titles. Simply visit www.independent.co.uk/subscriptions to view our full range of titles, and to sign up.
0 040 7741
Subscriptions can be for 7 days a week for �5 a week; or 6 days a week for �4.50 a week. A minimum sign-up of 24 weeks applies to voucher subscriptions. You will also receive a FREE annual or six month subscription to one of the following titles: Reader's Digest; The Oldie; The Week (6 months); Gardener's World Magazine; Lonely Planet Magazine; Good Food; Good Housekeeping; Country Living; She; Practical Photography; Country Walking; Empire; Time Out (6 months); The Knitter or Triathlon Plus. Full details, and terms and conditions, are available at www.independent.co.uk/subscriptions. This offer is not valid in conjunction with any other offer.
LL CA00 8
27
`Where will overpaid BBC staff find such a safe and cushy alternative?'
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, page 31
Opinion&Debate
THE INDEPENDENT
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
In a body-language election there can be only one winner
Bruce Anderson
he Tories had always intended to start their election campaign before Twelfth Night and to maintain a relentless pace until polling day. On one point, we can be certain. The planning will be thorough. Mr Cameron and his team do not believe in improvisation. But whatever the degree of planning, there is another certainty. Most of the tens of millions of words which all the parties are about to emit will be wasted. The average voter will not absorb more than a tiny percentage of them. But some will stick. The voters will form an overall impression. This may not be especially articulate. But it will be decisive. There is a further vital point on which no certainty is possible. Will the actual election campaign matter? If it does, it will be in a minority. Over the past 30 years, only once has a campaign had an important effect on the outcome: in 1992. Otherwise, there is no reason to believe that the final frantic weeks altered anything. In 1979, the Tories had everything planned. They then made a hideous strategic error. They started a week later than Labour did. This meant that the Tories spent much of the next four weeks on the defensive, rebutting Labour smears which had enjoyed an uncontested week to embed themselves. It was nerveracking for the Tories at HQ � and it did not matter. Enough voters had made up their minds that it was time for a change. But there are three reasons for thinking that this campaign might matter. Over the past few years, the sovereign people has become much more volatile. Tribalism is not what it was. Many more voters have many fewer preconceptions; look at the way in which turnout has fallen. The second, related reason is that the days of the uniform swing are over. Fifty years ago, the swing in Billericay, Bradford and Bournemouth might be within one percentage point. Today, we can expect regional variations, local variations, personal variations. The expenses degringolade will also affect a number of contests. It will still be a national campaign, which will not disintegrate into 646 by-elections. Even so, MPs or candidates � for good or ill � will be able to make a far greater contribu-
T
tion than their predecessors could a generation ago. The third factor is the debates, assuming that they do take place and that the minor parties are unable to use the Representation of the People Act to derail them. It is surprising that it has taken the UK so long to get round to electoral debates. For years, the underdog would issue a challenge, the overdog would find a thinly disguised way of saying, "why should I take the risk?" and the public would shrug its shoulders. This time, David Cameron felt that if he merely said, "Nice try, Gordon, but what would you do if you had a 10-point lead?" he would come across as frit. Frit or not, some senior Tories would have chanced it. Apart from the gratuitous introduction of uncertainty, they were worried about the Liberals. For years, both the largest parties have claimed that a Liberal vote was a wasted vote. But once the wasted vote is granted TV time, might it not acquire legitimacy? That argument could have been conclusive, under a different Liberal leader. Menzies Campbell was never more than Roy Jenkins after a lobotomy. But he possesses a certain greyhaired plausibility. He knows how to make platitudes sound sonorous. Vince Cable is much the most overrated figure in modern British politics. He is a poujadist masquerading as a central banker. Yet one should never underestimate poujadism's enduring appeal. Poujadism rests uneasily with Nick Clegg, as does appeal. Mr Clegg has a problem. He is more intelligent than either Mr Cable or Mr Campbell and he has a bedrock of conviction. But it is a conviction that dare not speak its name. Mr Clegg, who is only about a quarter British, believes in a federal Europe. That is the cause which brought him into politics; that is a subject which could make him eloquent. It could also cost his party a lot of seats. Mr Clegg feels unable to be frank. So he is condemned to be insipid. Serves him right. Anyway, and whatever the Tory augurs conclude from their scrutiny
It will favour Cameron when the electorate sees the candidates as they really are
of American political scientists, used to say that in every election, despite the best efforts of the handlers, there would be moments of political nakedness, when the voters would see the candidates as they really were. This would have a dramatic impact on the outcome. It is quite likely that between now and election day, David Cameron will project himself as a decent man who wants to be prime minister in order to do his best for the country, while Gordon Brown will come across as a driven, feral creature who is desperate to remain PM because his ego would crumble under the humiliation of defeat. If that did happen, the Tories would win. But a reassuring body language is not enough. A general election is not the same as the final exams at charm school. In conditions of economic crisis, dislikeable but tough could still make inroad on well-meaning but not strong enough: inroads sufficient to deny an overall majority. Gordon Brown will try to fight the third re-running of the 1997 election, accusing the Tories of planning to slash the NHS, destroy state education and condemn OAPs to starvation. David Cameron has spent four years trying to ensure that those lies will never reach cruising altitude: four successful years. He has won that body-language battle. The voters will simply not believe that a government led by Mr Cameron would destroy the health service. The Tories intend to reinforce this impression by manifesto commitments to reforms in health and education, which will use the language of choice in an appealing way. Hitherto, when the Tories spoke of choice, it sounded as if they were hoping to subsidise their supporters to go private at cheap rates. Now, the aim is to persuade everyone that choice is for them. So the Tories can concentrate on persuading voters that they can be trusted to sort out the economy. Before he became party leader, David Cameron used to enjoy cooking, and still does, on the rare occasions when there is time. He never ventured on haute cuisine; his forte was roasts and proper breakfasts. But he was also good at bread; knobbly, healthy brown bread which would pass every glycaemic index test. He now needs more roughage in his rhetoric.
JEMMA ROBINSON
of the Liberal party's interstices, there is no going back. The late Gordon Reece was that uncommon phenomenon: a PR man who understood the public. He had a dictum, which has never been more relevant. "When they're watching politicians on telly, real people do not follow the argument in detail. They drift in and out of concentration; they might even drift in and out of the sitting room. But they ask themselves one question: `Is this a nice person or a nasty person who has come into my living room?' If the
answer is `nasty', you have lost." Assuming that Mr Cameron does not suffer a debating implosion � highly unlikely � he ought to be favoured by a body-language election. Ken Clarke defined the task yesterday: to come across as "a potentially good prime minister who will lead a better, more reputable, more responsive type of government". That is hardly an impossible challenge � and there is another important dictum, which should also work in Mr Cameron's favour. The late Dick Scammon, the sometime doyen
Quotes of the day
`Coming out of a recession when you have such a severe deficit, you can't rule out putting up taxes'
Ken Clarke, shadow Business Secretary
`There is no smoking gun. `The Israeli position keeps There was no single piece of changing. They take one step intelligence that said, this guy forward and two back' is going to get on a plane' Khaled Mashaal, Hamas leader, on negoJohn Brennan, White House aide, on the attempt to blow up a transatlantic jet tiations to exchange Palestinian prisoners for Israeli Sgt Gilad Schalit, captured by Palestinian militants in 2006
28 OPINION&DEBATE
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Editorials
2 DERRY STREET, LONDON W8 5HF TELEPHONE: 020 7005 2000 FAX: 020 7005 2399
On the internet: www.independent.co.uk
The world must tread carefully in Yemen
As the world sees it...
Yemen
GULF NEWS
The US is repeating the same mistakes in Yemen that it made in Afghanistan; killing civilians under the pretext of fighting alQa'ida. Though some suspected terrorists may be killed, many more are inspired to seek revenge against the US. With every attack it carries out, the US creates a more negative impression of itself in the minds of Yemenis. Retaliatory attacks create the right environment for radical elements to be lured to join al-Qa'ida to attack US interests within and outside the country. If we could only learn from history, we would see why the insurgency in Afghanistan has been growing every year since Operation Enduring Freedom started in 2001. (Walid Al Saqaf)
T
What is required is a broad regional counter-terrorism strategy
base for the orchestration of international terror attacks. But foreign powers must tread carefully as they attempt to neutralise this threat. Before intervening, they need to understand the nature of this mountainous country at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen, like Afghanistan, has a strong tribal system. And the authority of the central government is just as limited as Hamid Karzai's regime in Kabul. The northern and southern regions were only unified two decades ago. And as Yemen's oil revenues dwindle, the so does the power of the central government. Outsiders need to work with the grain of Yemeni society. If they alienate the tribes, or are seen to be taking sides in the country's overlapping ethnic and religious disputes, foreign intervention designed to snuff out terror groups could easily prove counterproductive. Ultimately, only a counter-terrorism strategy framed around the problems of the broader region makes sense. Yemeni's religious extremism is in large part an import from Saudi Arabia. The country has become a safe haven for religious fanatics from its northern neighbour. And Somalia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, is even more chaotic than Yemen and itself a serious potential source of global terror. The international concern over Yemen is natural given the recent pattern of terror activity and the Detroit bombing attempt. And financial assistance to the Yemeni security forces to help the country defeat its internal fanatics is justified. But a foreign response which demands instant results, which turns a blind eye to the destabilising influence of Saudi Arabia, which fails to tackle the anarchy in Somalia, is destined to fail. Most of all, loose talk in Western capitals of pre-emptive military action against Yemen's Islamist militants needs to be ditched. Such threats not only lack credibility given the manifest overstretch of Nato forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, they unhelpfully raise the political temperature in the region. The world cannot � and should not � ignore the terror threat posed by militant groups operating from within Yemen. But equally, the international community needs to ensure that, before anything else, it does not make matters worse.
he global struggle against Islamist terror has a new front. Thanks to a failed attack on an airliner landing in Detroit on Christmas Day, the international spotlight has switched to Yemen, where the would-be bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is said to have been trained. At the weekend, the top American commander in the region, David Petraeus, announced plans to double US counter-terrorism aid during a visit to the country. Our own Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has called for an international conference on the terror threat posed by Yemen to be held later this month. There can be little doubt that Yemen is a genuine source of danger. Al-Qa'ida has steadily increased its presence in the country since the suicide bomb attack on the USS Cole in the port of Aden a decade ago. Foreign tourists have been targeted in recent years, as has the US embassy on several occasions. Many of the suicide bombers that have wreaked havoc in Iraq are believed to have hailed from Yemen. And the failed Detroit aircraft bombing confirms that Yemen has joined Pakistan as a
Capital punishment in the US
WASHINGTON POST
New Mexico last year took the commendable step of abolishing capital punishment in the state. Sadly, Maryland lawmakers debated such a step but failed to garner the votes for passage. Instead, they passed legislation that authorises the death penalty only in cases where DNA or videotaped evidence corroborates guilt. This toughening of the standards is welcome, but lawmakers should not abandon the quest to erase the death penalty from the state's books. (Editorial)
Plane and simple charging?
AS ANYONE who has ever booked a flight on the budget airline Ryanair will know, what you see at first is seldom what you end up with. Credit card booking fees, charges for checking luggage, penalties for failing to check-in online and a host of other levies often drive up those headline cheap fares considerably. So the question, given that none of these charges are illegal, is whether the manner in which Ryanair conducts its business is anyone else's concern. John Fingleton, the head of the Office of Fair Trading, suggests that it is. In an interview with this newspaper today Mr Fingleton describes Ryanair's charging system, with its proliferation of last-minute fees and opaque penalties, as "puerile" and "outside the spirit of the law". This seems like a shot across the bows for the airline. The OFT is in the middle of an investigation into online prices and advertising, which could spell trouble for Ryanair when it reports later this year. The regulator has certainly shown itself willing to take on the airline in the past. In 2006 it forced Ryanair to alter its contract terms over lost baggage. And last year, the OFT secured an agreement from the airline to increase the clarity of its website and emails over the small print on promotional offers. The central issue now is price transparency. For any market to work well for consumers, prices need to be clear. Clear prices enable people to shop around for the best value. And the act of shopping around forces all providers to improve and compete on price. The argument made by some is that Ryanair's advertising and pricing practices are short-circuiting that mechanism of healthy competition. Ryanair angrily counters that its vigorous cost-cutting over the years has been a great benefit for travellers, enabling them to fly far more cheaply than ever before. That might be so, but such services would not excuse the practice of misleading people now. The fact that a business has benefited customers in the past is no guarantee that it will always do so. The OFT should ignore Ryanair's bluster and concentrate single-mindedly on the best interests of the consumer.
Nuclear disarmament
MOSCOW TIMES
The Cold War is over, but the nuclear deterrent remains. This is largely because the West and Russia never fully seized the opportunity that arose 20 years ago. It was a chance for lasting peace, but the two sides opted in the end for a truce. Given the circumstances, the very idea of a world without nuclear weapons looks like a utopian vision ... possible in principle but difficult to realise in the real world. But the world does change. Our idea of a world without nuclear weapons has "gripped the masses," to borrow a term from the Marxist lexicon. (Mikhail Margelov)
Train of thought
WILL PEOPLE all over the world one day be joining bumpers to start road trains? That's the dream of the developers of the Safe Road Trains for the Environment (Sartre) project. They envisage convoys of six to eight cars on our motorways and autoroutes, all connected by radio transmitters, in which everyone except the driver of the lead vehicle can safely put their feet up and relax � at least until their exit comes up. But we have some questions: what happens if you fall asleep in the middle of the train? Would you wake up at the very end of the motorway? That might be rather inconvenient. And another thing. Who would want to be at the front doing all the driving? And if they wanted to be at the front, would you necessarily be happy for them to be there? As the original Sartre (Jean-Paul that is) noted: "Hell is other people". And there, surely, speaks a frustrated driver.
n
u
INDEPENDENT MINDS
Have your say on the issues of the day at independent.co.uk/opinion n Get writing for The Independent! Start your own Independent Minds blog at independent.co.uk/independentminds
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 ����
OPINION&DEBATE 29
Cost per body scanner to be introduced at Britain's airports
NUMBERS OF THE DAY
�80,000
3
Days people were stranded by snow in a North Yorkshire pub where they had gone to see in the new year
This is no country to do business with
Victoria Clark
faulty pair of "Made in Yemen" exploding underpants have diverted the world's attention to a new destination. The most physically attractive and anthropologically colourful, but also the poorest and least known, country on the Arabian Peninsula is the one we're worrying about now. Within days of the botched attack, on New Year's Eve, Yemen's foreign minister was begging for help against an estimated 300 jihadists; helicopters, counter-terrorism training and money were on his wish-list. On New Year's Day Gordon Brown was responding with a plan to host an international conference to discuss ways of stopping a country he described as an "incubator and potential safe haven for terrorists" becoming another Afghanistan. By yesterday Yemen already had a pledge of funding for a new counter-terrorism unit and reinforcement for its coastguard. The US has doubled its spending in Yemen � from $70m to $140m for this year. Fresh intelligence of a planned attack in Sanaa has led both the US and UK
A
to close their embassies there. Yemen � or, more precisely, its president, Ali Abdullah Salih � is an ally in the War on Terror we have been fighting this last decade so it's nice to be lending him a helping hand, but there is arguably little we can do at this stage without running a serious risk of our efforts rebounding on us. In an ideal world, President Salih is not someone we would like to be doing business with. Although far from being a blood-thirsty tyrant in the mould of Saddam Hussein, he has maintained himself in power these past 30 years by a skilful balancing of interests made possible by the financial blandishments he has been funding from Yemen's trickle of oil revenues since 1986. This slowing trickle, the source of three quarters of Yemen's revenues, is no longer enough to dampen dissent against a regime that has been branded by the American academic, Professor Robert D Burrowes, as a "kleptocracy run by and for the thieves". Corrupt, unjust, primitive, criminal are a few of the adjectives educated Yemenis would use to describe it. It is no surprise therefore that President Salih has been contending with two serious dissident movements for the past half decade � one in the northwest of the country, one in the south � both of which threaten the integrity of the country. The Zaydi Shiite rebels of north-western Yemen hate Salih for
effectively selling Yemen's soul to Sunni Saudi Wahhabism, a policy that started in the early 1970s when Sanaa sought a bulwark against the Marxists who had seized power in south Yemen after the British departed in 1967. The southern uprising against him, meanwhile, is rooted in fury at the way the union of north and south Yemen has been handled since its enactment in 1990; in late 2004 an influential southern sheikh named Tariq al-Fadhli, an old friend of Osama bin Laden's from Afghanistan and the anti-Soviet jihad but ostensibly a loyal supporter of President Salih, confessed he wished the British would return to Aden, "before lunch, if possible!" Assessing his two dissident movements as posing a greater danger to himself and his relations than al-Qa'ida, President Salih has been expending the bulk of his resources on them since 2004. Billions of dollars' worth of Russian MiG jets have been bombing civilian targets in Saada, and counterterrorism efforts have been concentrated on harassing and imprisoning journalists, comedians and dissident politicians, instead of supervising mosques and schools, let alone uprooting al-Qa'ida. Yemen's jihadists have been at liberty to regroup since 2006 when 23 of them "escaped" from a Sanaa jail run by the central security agency, the PSO. Just as in Pakistan, there has been a credible question mark over
Those powers who have tried to dominate Yemen have done so to their immense cost
the extent to which the PSO has aided and abetted the jihadists. On my last visit to Sanaa however, one of the president's advisers assured me that al-Qa'ida had moved up the agenda since Salih had realised that they had him directly in their sights; an old woman tending a grave in a cemetery near the airport had reported the mysterious appearance of a hut among the graves and, in so doing, exposed a plot to shoot down Salih's aeroplane. In December, the uncovering of plots against the US and UK embassies in Sanaa prompted some rare direct action against al-Qa'ida. With publicly acknowledged US backup in the form of weaponry and intelligence, Yemeni jets bombed what the US identified as al-Qa'ida targets. Instead of making more enemies out of friends, and before wading into Yemen as Senator Joe Lieberman recommends � all guns blazing in all directions and on the side of an unpopular and failing regime � we might consider a few factors. The hearts-and-minds propaganda war has been more or less lost in
Yemen thanks to the invasion of Iraq and the unpopularity of President Salih, America's ally. Yemen is home to many different shades of Islamism, many of whom are Salafists like bin Laden � the Muslim equivalent of Puritans � but the vast majority of whom are not jihadists, even if they do distrust the West and reject its values. The spread of radicalisation in Yemen might be slowed if pressure were applied to Yemen's wealthy Gulf neighbours to host Yemeni migrant workers and, in the long term, invest more in the country. Our political advice to President Salih might be that he needs to decentralise as fast as possible, before the country falls apart. Yemen is unlikely to become a reliable safe haven for jihadists. Powers who have sought to dominate Yemen since the 16th century � the Ottomans, the British, the Egyptians, the Soviet Union � all learned to their immense cost that Yemen's tribes are interested in money and land, not any ideology � whether religious or secular. Iraq's Sunni tribes were eventually bribed out of al-Qa'ida's clutches. That tactic might work in Yemen, though the dealings would certainly be better handled by fellow Gulf Arabs than by any Western power. Victoria Clark's `Yemen: Dancing on the Heads of Snakes' will be published by Yale in April
30 OPINION&DEBATE
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
letters@independent.co.uk
Entangled in the Islamic briar-patch
Washington's successive bombings, invasions and occupations of Islamic countries is beginning to resemble Br'er Rabbit's entanglement with the Tar Baby ("The lessons of Flight 253", 28 December). The more the West seeks to control, the greater the blowback, sometimes even in our homelands. The West's kneejerk reaction to blowback, alas, is to plunge further into the Islamic briarpatch. The irony is that the architects of the "War on Terror", the West's ideologically-driven globalists, promoted mass immigration which has facilitated the ingress into our countries of Islamists seeking revenge. The choice is ours. Either wage endless wars or stop sending our troops abroad in search of demons to slay. There's more than enough to do in our own backyard, ensuring, for instance, that the British state continues to naturally command the allegiance of its people.
YUGO KOVACH WINTERBORNE HOUGHTON, DORSET
LETTERS MAY ALSO BE SENT BY POST TO: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, THE INDEPENDENT, 2 DERRY STREET, LONDON W8 5HF OR BY FAX TO: 020 7005 2399 PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR STREET ADDRESS AND DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER. LETTERS MAY BE EDITED
Why have ministers failed to help Gary McKinnon?
The execution of Akmai Shaikh in China has provoked strong criticism from Gordon Brown, who said he was "appalled and disappointed" that no assessment was made of Shaikh's medical condition. Ivan Lewis, the Foreign Office minister, told the Chinese ambassador, "China has failed in its basic human rights responsibilities" (report, 30 December). The heroin-smuggling crime was committed in China and no medical evidence of any mental illness suffered by Mr Shaikh has been produced, before or after trial. In July this year, Gary McKinnon, accused of hacking into Pentagon computers, lost all appeals to be extradited to the USA to stand trial and face up to 60 years in prison. This is after seven years of legal action, during which the High Court upheld a refusal by the Director of Public Prosecutions to hold a trial in this country. Mr McKinnon, who is now 42, is officially diagnosed as suffering from Asperger's syndrome, and his lawyers have said that extradition could lead to "disastrous consequences" for his health, including possible psychosis and suicide. It was stated that Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary, had taken into account Mr McKinnon's condition when considering the US extradition request. Alan Johnson, the present Home Secretary, said: "It would be illegal for me to stop the extradition of Gary McKinnon, which the court ruling has made clear." There are great differences in the punishments of these people, although some would argue that death would be preferable to 60 years in jail, but why does our government offer all support to one UK national while politicians fail to help another mentally ill Briton facing trial in another country, especially when the alleged crime was committed in the UK?
BRAD INGRAM SAFFRON WALDEN, ESSEX
Benn's BBC plan to buy The Times
As a new member of the national council of the National Graphical Association (NGA) in January 1979, I said we should support Tony Benn's proposal that The Times be bought by the BBC (report, 30 December). The print unions were facing rapidly advancing new technology. In a decade or so, thousands of jobs were lost. The NGA and other unions tried to save as many as they could, but we were entering the era of "deindustrialisation", with the economic trend moving from industrial capital to finance capital. Mrs Thatcher took up the cause with a vengeance and left an economic vulnerability that is still taking its toll. Had The Times been bought by the BBC, that may not have changed the subsequent decline in journalistic standards, but Britain would have had a newspaper where the principle of balance and impartiality would have had a decent space. And the paper would have had the best of the BBC journalists available. I believe Rupert Murdoch was already "in the frame" to buy The Timeswhen Tony Benn's proposal was mooted, possibly with promise of job guarantees etc. The Wapping dispute six years later gave the print unions a cold shower of reality. In these straitened times, Mr Benn's idea may be an idea whose time has come for newspapers facing survival.
JOHN PINKERTON MILTON KEYNES
It is surely a matter of luck that the terrorist attempt to destroy Flight 253 flight failed, but it emphasises the need for constant vigilance and enhanced security for all passengers. This year, Manchester airport introduced passenger X-ray scanning, which was subjected to problems and criticism not least from those purporting to uphold human rights. Indeed, I believe that an early decision was made not to screen passengers under the age of 18. The rationale for such a decision doesn't stand up to any kind of reasoned scrutiny. If my memory serves me correctly I also recall that certain sectors of our society refused to be screened by "sniffer dogs", it being contrary to their faith or beliefs. I don't, for one moment question the right of any individual to hold a particular view. But when that belief either impinges on, or may threaten, the lives of others, a line has to be drawn. Those wishing to travel by air must be prepared to subject themselves to whatever security measures are deemed necessary. If not, they don't travel.
NICK DABER STOCKPORT, CHESHIRE
PETN explosive. Would full body scanners have worked? Probably. But that's a debate for another day. Despite Schengen, passport checks still exist in Europe. If they didn't, then how come various ETA terrorists have been apprehended trying to cross the Spanish border into France? The comparison with the 1999 Millennium Plot is also somewhat misleading, given that said plotters had timing devices and an over-abundance of explosives concealed in an automobile, relatively easier to detect than the mere six grams of PETN tucked in underpants. And Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's two-year US visa had not "nearly expired" but had six months (a quarter of its validity) to go. Even entering the US on a one-way ticket with a visa is not out of the ordinary. I would also guess that paying with cash for a flight is quite common in Africa. The real question is whether the US authorities alerted their Dutch counterparts about the possible threat posed by Abdulmutallab, especially when one considers that he was already on a US watch-list. Initial evidence would suggest they did not exchange this
intelligence. Abdulmutallab also entered using a multipleentry visa, which requires a greater depth of scrutiny than a visitor's visa. Did the Dutch issue this visa? No. What about revoking the visa after warnings about Abdulmutallab? Of course not.
EWAN WATT ST PAUL, MINNESOTA, USA
The silence of the Border Agency
Your report of two suicides of immigrants after questioning by the police (29 December) could be indicative of very serious problems with the way all immigrants are treated by officialdom. When I visited Cardiff Border Agency on behalf of others in March, I was not allowed to go into the building with them but had to sit on a wall outside for a couple of hours. I wrote, questioning the Agency whether a journey of such a distance for them was absolutely necessary, or if taking fingerprints from children for visas was essential. There could well have been good reasons for all this inconvenience but I am still waiting to hear what they are. I have had no reply to any of my follow-up letters, despite copying them to my MP. My experience tells me that the training in people skills in this Agency is probably nil. PR is not an important issue either. Later conversations with immigration officers on social occasions has confirmed a belief that the attitude of some workers in immigration control
According to Gordon Brown, Farouk Abdulmutallab was instructed by al-Qa'ida operatives in Yemen. Brown also says Yemen has become "an incubator and potential safe-haven for terrorism", then promises aid amounting to more than �100m. Sitting under Yemen is one of the world's largest reserves of untapped oil, so I wondered if Brown's aid promise was more double-speak for another exercise in debt enslavement, so western allies could take a hand in the development of Yemen's oil reserve? Also the mention of terrorist activity usually leaves a window open for military action should debt bondage fails to achieve compliance. Or am I being cynical?
SHAUN WALTON BUGBROOKE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
towards visitors, whatever their background or reason for being here, verge on the racist. I can imagine that someone newly arrived, unsupported, left alone with "authority" for many hours, understanding with difficulty what is said and dismissed without proper explanations, could become demoralised and despairing enough to take their life. If this is how our Border Agency operates towards me, an ordinary, law-abiding citizen, I wonder how, when nobody is looking, it treats strangers who are dependent on a fair judgement of their situation.
JENNIFER BELL TIVERTON, DEVON
Oil giant cutting carbon emissions
Your article, "Sussex will be desert before the climate deniers accept reality" (16 December), recycles discredited conspiracy theories. We at ExxonMobil believe the risks posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions are serious and warrant action, by governments, by companies, and by individuals. We advocate a revenue-neutral carbon tax as a more administratively simple, transparent and efficient mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In our global operations in 2008, we reduced emissions by 10 million tonnes. And when ExxonMobil provides financial support to public policy organisations we do so openly and transparently by publishing our contributions on our website. The 150 groups include some of the finest institutions in the world. They include Stanford University, the Brookings Institute and MIT. We do not fund the Heartland Institute and have not done so for years.
NICK R THOMAS REGIONAL DIRECTOR, PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, EXXONMOBIL, LEATHERHEAD, SURREY
Briefly...
Subject de-continued
Further to Kartar Uppal's letter about Colonel Gaddafi's son and his bodyguards and the legality of the term "dearrested" (2 January); are we to assume that the dearrestees have also had their DNA subsequently deleted from the national database? If so, is this de-legal?
ROY MITCHELL BRENTFORD, MIDDLESEX
Blaming Schengen for the failed Flight 253 attack is ludicrous (letters, 31 December, 2 January). Given that Nigeria is not a member of the Schengen Zone, how we can point the finger at the EU for this is beyond me. How can Dennis Lennox claim European airports lack "crucial basic scrutiny and security mechanisms"? Fox News has repeatedly reported that most airport scanners would not have detected the
the side-roads are now empty and Lancashire County Council and Blackburn Council refuse to refill them. After one heavy snowfall during Christmas week, residents in one area were unable to drive up the side-roads safely because of the lack of grit, so parked their cars on the main road. They were given parking tickets early the next morning.
S SILGRAM BLACKBURN, LANCASHIRE
six hours every night. We have monitored hundreds of hours of fox behaviour, and the word is "timid". Our cat has chased them out of the garden many times, and our neighbours' cat, half the size of ours, has no trouble in chasing them out as well.
JEAN ELLIOTT UPMINSTER, ESSEX
ed by some assumptions about our work practices. We do not just hand these tablets out as the mood takes us; we counsel the customers and, if it isn't appropriate, we don't give the product out.
LINDA FISHER HUBY, YORK
Blame the builders
It beats me why anyone would object to the sight of a mother breastfeeding, when we are daily subjected to the spectacle of young men and women in those awful lowslung jeans, revealing their bellies and bums to the entire high street.
DORAINE POTTS CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Swallow this
Another correspondent has totally misunderstood the action of Levonelle 1500 (letters, 2 January). It is not an abortion pill but a tablet that stops fertilisation, which is why it has to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex for it to be effective. As a pharmacist, I get very irritat-
Grit your teeth
Mary Nolze (letters, 31 December) suggests residents should be employed to clear snow and ice. Here, we actually do, and grit our roads and pavements, all done voluntarily. But the grit-bins on
Fox fable
Your correspondent John Charman (letters, 31 December) describes foxes as "vicious". In our small garden, we have an infra-red camera linked to a DVD recorder which records for
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
OPINION&DEBATE 31
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
`In most things success depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed'
MONTESQUIEU, French political thinker (1689-1755)
Well done, PD James. But will the BBC get the message?
Yasmin AlibhaiBrown
WHAT A splendid, entertaining programme, better than a long glass of pink champagne. PD James, as guest editor for the Today programme interviewed the BBC director-general Mark Thompson. La grande dame sans merci, nearly 90, "filleted", "torpedoed" or "skewered" the hapless Thompson, said excitable commentators. Thompson stuttered when interrogated about vast management salaries and the disgraceful culling of older women from the screen, a complaint forcefully reiterated by Harriet Harman this weekend. Nothing beats doughty Englishwomen of a certain age when they decide enough is enough. Worryingly though, the very serious concerns raised by PD James have vanished as the match and its winner become the story. Her age, crime-writing and gender are proving too much of a distraction. Maybe that was the cunning plot all along. Get the leader of the pack to the formidable headmistress, take his punishment and carry on as before. Not so fast I say. Too many of us feel the corporation is losing its purpose and integrity, failing to reflect the nation as it changes and grows. Like PD James, I have long loved this institution, a love inherited from my father who would forget to eat but addictively listened to the crackling sounds of BBC coming through the old radio. I detested the Empire but not its seductive broadcaster which seemed to rise above grubby commercial concerns and obvious partisanship. Into the heart of Africa it brought beautifully modulated language, lofty journalistic principles, poetry, self-confidence and ideals. Propaganda yes, but irresistibly high quality. Coming to Britain in 1972 was a shock in many ways � the nation was in a state of social and economic collapse � but the BBC was still there, eternal, excellent and holding on to its founding ethics. It gave us exiles a feeling of belonging and kept alive the image of Great Britain. Over the years the romance with the BBC faded but not the abiding affection, not even when we saw how it excluded so many who lived on these isles. Today serious disillusionment is sweeping in. You can still find fantastic programmes and exceptional broadcasters, but they cannot offset the increasing dross, repetitiveness and mob appeal. I like many of the individuals, including Thompson, but many of their decisions and choices � like having the BNP on Question Time � have become indefensible. The captains of the "unwieldy ship" as described by PD James care not about their mutinous passengers, and disregard their complaints. Not running the appeal for the victims of Gaza was but one example of highhandedness. Thompson argues that 37 individuals in the management team deserve three times more than the PM and would go elsewhere if offered less. So, like greedy bankers, let them go to that elsewhere. Where will they find such a safe and cushy alternative? ITV and Channel4 are trying to survive the vicissitudes of the marketplace. The DG shows himself to be as insular as indignant parliamentarians who think we should pay for their duck houses and second homes. Patent age discrimination is faced by women because the BBC abjectly follows the generators of popular culture � glossy mags, glam queens, celeb circuses. Licence-fee payers are paying for the insidious propagation of female images of beauty that make most of us feel hideous and irrelevant. We see more able and sharp black and Asian female presenters now � Riz Lateef, Anita Anand, Mishal Husain � but one wonders where they will be when they are not young and beautiful. The most prestigious political programmes and documentaries are not open to people like us. When it comes to highly paid entertainers, the club is even more restrictive. All white male standup comics and wits like Stephen Fry are recycled endlessly. This is our BBC. The management and BBC Trust seem to have forgotten that. We must thank PD James for reminding them. She should get the DG back in six months and ask for a slashed pay list at the top, programming worthy of the institution and proof that talent systematically excluded is finally being admitted through the forbidding doors. If none of this is forthcoming we will know that the interview was just a diversionary tactic, a bit of amusement as the ship sails into the new year.
y.alibhai-brown@independent.co.uk
Buenos Aires Notebook
Sophie Morris
Thousands who come in search of a hero
THERE'S NOTHING unusual about tailbacks and traffic jams around the Argentinian capital on the first weekend of the new year. Instead of rushing to the January sales, porte�os, as people from the city are known, pack up their cars and head for the country to relax with Granny and Grandpa, or seek a patch of breezy coastline to take the sting out of the city's oppressive heat: it's the holiday season and no one wants to spend it cooped up in a megalopolis of 13 million people. There was another reason for the gridlock this weekend: the start of the Dakar Rally, a 9,000km, two-week car race around Argentina and Chile, which was relocated from Africa to South America last year because of fears of terrorist attacks en route through the Mauritanian desert. Terrorism aside, the Dakar remains one of the world's most dangerous adventures. More than 50 competitors have perished undertaking the Herculean challenge, and that's not counting the supporters. One young Argentinian fan, who had jumped the safety barriers to get closer to the action, has already died this year. If there's anything the Argentinians love more than their morning mat� tea, it might be a massive public gathering. Whether it's to complain about agricultural taxes or yet another botched investigation into the perpetrators of last century's grim Dirty War, they vote with their feet. Enthusiasm for the Dakar is so great that 800,000 supporters lined the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday morning to wave off the 361 competitors. Another theory is that the Argentinians love a hero. They have so many to commemorate that consecutive parts of the same street are often named after different military and revolutionary bigshots. The Dakar Rally produces bona fide swashbuckling heroes, of the intrepid, indomitable mould that football and tango struggle to provide with equal ardour these days.
There are still great programmes � but they cannot offset the dross
Nothing French about fraternity
John Lichfield
OF ALL the reforms launched by President Nicolas Sarkozy, this may be the most overdue and the most likely to fail. He wants the French to be nicer to one another. In an otherwise dull New Year television address, Mr Sarkozy said that he wanted "2010 to be the year in which we give new meaning to the beautiful word `fraternity', which is part of the motto of our Republic". The cheek of the man. Two months ago, President Sarkozy launched � or had launched in his name � a "great debate on national identity". His intention, explained to his political troops in private, was to foment a redblooded (or red-white-and-blue blooded) argument on patriotism and immigration that would embarrass the Left before awkward regional elections taking place in March. The debate has instead embarrassed Mr Sarkozy, dislodging a land-slip of simplistic, quasi-racist and anti-Islamic views within the president's centre-right party. Mr Sarkozy made no reference to "national identity" in his New Year TV address. His discovery of the word "fraternit�" has been interpreted by the French media as an attempt to call the debate to order. In doing so, he has inadvertently raised an important question on French identity, as seen by foreigners. How is it that a nation which commits itself officially to "fraternit�" is so unpleasant, off-hand, selfish or simply rude in its day-to-day dealings with other people, whether French or foreign? When I came to France 13 years ago, I was determined to avoid the kind of facile "frogbashing" stories that is found in, hem-hem, some parts of the British media. Before I go on, therefore, I would like to pay tribute to the many noble aspects of French "identity": its art de vivre; its sense of humour; its love of abstract thought; the value that the French place on friendship, which partly explains why strangers are treated like dirt. I would also like to point out that the casual rudeness and nastiness which foreigners associate with the French is mostly the fault of the Parisians (but does occur elsewhere). In my time in France, I have come across several examples of random kindness: the gendarmerie sergeant who drove me 10 miles to my house in Normandy after I stupidly lost a hire-car key; the shepherd's daughter who led me in her car for 30 miles through Alpine roads and tracks to find her father high in a Massif near Grenoble; an entire Metro platform of Parisians who waited patiently for 20 minutes while my daughter's friend's runaway shoe was recovered from between the tracks. In the pursuit of honesty and truth, however, I must also report the following recent incident outside a French mainline railway station. A friend with a broken ankle and on crutches needed a taxi home. The first taxi refused to take her and three companions on the grounds that he never took "handicapp�s". The second refused to take her because, he said, "crutches damage my paintwork". As my friend was hobbling towards a third taxi, she overheard a woman say to her daughter: "quick you can beat her, she is on crutches." Could those things only happen in France? No. Is one surprised to hear that they happened in Paris? No. President Sarkozy is right. It is time that France gave "new meaning to the beautiful word `fraternity'." One suspects, however, that the president's crusade will not get him very far.
j.lichfield@independent.co.uk
Smarter than the average pest
THOSE OF us left in the city have vicious mosquitos to deal with. The porte�o mosquito is quite unlike any variety I've come across before: so tiny I haven't caught even one in flagrante delicto; so stealthy that they pounce without that tell-tale high-pitched warning whine. Paranoia over dengue fever is running high in the city after an unexpected outbreak last summer. I'm not surprised: these beasts are smarter than anything you'll find in Avatar.
No party without Cristina
WITH THE dawn of 2010 comes Argentina's bicentenary. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, whose approval rating is at a shamefully low 15 per cent in the capital, returns to work after her Christmas break today. That should get the party started.
The rudeness one comes across is mostly the fault of the Parisians
32 OPINION&DEBATE
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
You ask the questions
Sir Menzies Campbell Lib Dem MP for North East Fife, and former Lib Dem leader
What is Cleggism? And is the dream of proportional representation dead?
Can you now say that, like your predecessor as Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, you were betrayed by senior members of your party shortly before you resigned as leader? FIONA MCMAHON STOCKPORT You might say so but I couldn't possibly comment! What is Cleggism as a political philosophy? MICHELLE THORPS DONCASTER Cleggism is liberalism. A belief in individual freedom and personal liberty, in opportunity and service, and in internationalism and the universality of human rights. Its practical application is to be found in policies to reduce taxation on those with the lowest incomes, in policies which oppose unnecessary interference by the state in the lives of its citizens and those which support a prominent role for the United Kingdom in the European Union and the United Nations. Clegg is a classic liberal which is why he was my preferred candidate to follow me. The only "ism" we deal with in the Liberal Democrat party is liberalism. Was your party's recent U-turn over a mansions tax less or more embarrassing than Nick Clegg's reference to 30 female acquaintances of his? GABRIELLA CARTER KILMARNOCK Ingenious question! But what's wrong with refining a policy so that it does what it is meant to do? I can think of a lot of Tory and Labour policies which could do with a bit of refining. On the big "Three O" I would have said, "None of your bloody business" to my good friend Piers Morgan when he asked the question. But there is a serious point here. Before long, MPs could be required to lodge details of any assets of any description, the incomes and assets of their spouses and partners, and eventually their own medical records. But we should recognise this transparency will come with consequences. A lot of talented people will simply say no to a sustained invasion of their privacy and turn their backs on politics, and politics will be the poorer. We need to strike a balance between what is legitimate and what is invasive. Did the dream of proportional representation die with Roy Jenkins? OMAR SIDDIQUI WIGAN No. I know directly of Roy Jenkins's personal disappointment that the Blair government did not accept his well-argued proposals for reform of the voting system. But the issue will not go away and when I was leading the Liberal Democrats I made it clear that it would be an essential condiDANNY LAWSON/PA WIRE
that it was the right thing to do.
[David] Cameron is right about the genuine symmetry between Tories and Lib Dems. So why won't you admit you'll prop him up in a hung parliament? LIZZIE KELLER BRUSSELS I don't accept what you say about "symmetry". On Europe, taxation and social policy we start from quite a different place from the Tories. Mr Cameron's overture is destined to be part of an unfinished symphony. The chameleon may seem to be the same colour as its surroundings but you know that if the surroundings change so will the chameleon! I seem to remember Charles Kennedy saying we should decriminalise cannabis. Is that still party policy? TINA COLLINS WORCESTER Britain's drugs policy is a mess. We cannot decide between treatment or punishment for addicts. We do not devote sufficient resources to identifying and bringing dealers to justice. Drugs policy is like a weathervane, often blowing in opposite directions by successive Home Secretaries and occasionally by the same Home Secretary. We need a Royal Commission to examine every element of the drugs problem; supply, treatment, criminality and health. You were once a sprinter of renown. How do you think you would have fared against Usain Bolt? RICHARD HIGSON TAUNTON Badly! Bolt is a unique talent who would beat every sprinter since the 1948 Olympics in London but I have a suspicion that the great Jesse Owens, who dominated the Berlin Olympics in 1936, might just be his equal. Every now and again athletics throws up an individual who rewrites the record books. Bob Beamon did it in 1968 in the Mexico Olympics when he longjumped more than 29 feet and slaughtered the opposition. But even extraordinary performances like Beamon's or Bolt's will eventually be overtaken when an even more precocious talent emerges. With a reputation for being one of the better dressed MPs, won't you tell us where you get your shirts, suits, and ties? PRADEEP SINDAR YORK A gentleman never discusses his tailor. But thanks for the compliment. What was the last opera you saw? PETER COOKSON DORKING I see prima donnas in action every day in the House of Commons! But seriously, I last saw L'Elisir d'Amore at Covent Garden in May 2009.
tion of any parliamentary arrangement between our party and any other. Why has your party not paid back the millions you received from convicted fraudster Michael Brown? TIMOTHY ROBINSON CREDITON The money was taken in good faith and no preference or reward was given or asked for in return for it. The Electoral Commission has recently decided that the party was entitled to accept the donation.
How can Liberal Democrats withstand the onslaught of [Tory donor] Ashcroft money in marginals in the South-west? STEPHEN PEWLISS EXETER Throwing money at constituencies is no substitute for years of good campaigning and outstanding service. Liberal Democrat MPs have been serving the South-west well for as long as I have been a member of the party. Their record is exemplary. The electorate is well able to base its judgement on the qualities, experience and achievements of candidates rather than the amount of money spent in their name. The case for regulation of what is spent outside of the election period is overwhelming. Reform is urgent. I simply cannot understand Tory ambiguity over the tax status of their financial supporters. It is a simple question of fact. Does the person making the donation pay tax in Britain like the rest of us? If they don't, why should
`Nothing that has happened since the invasion of Iraq has convinced me that it was the right thing to do'
they be allowed to influence the political process in this country with big donations? Is it true that Nick Clegg is inching toward a call for the troops in Afghanistan to come home? MORWENNA STEPTON LONDON Along with Paddy Ashdown and other senior members of the party, I discuss this issue with Nick Clegg on a regular basis. We are at war in Afghanistan and young men and women are risking and losing their lives on our behalf. Politicians of all parties have an overwhelming moral duty to scrutinise government policy when lives are at risk. The Lib Dems did just that over Iraq and reached the conclusion that military action was not justified. That is not our view about Afghanistan.
Where have you gone? The Lib Dems could do with a few of the older guard, including you and Ashdown. Come back! SIMON CARMICHAEL LONDON
Flattering, but I am doing what I was elected to do and representing my constituents in the House of Commons. I am as busy as I have ever been and now have the time to pursue my particular interest in foreign affairs, defence, nuclear disarmament and civil liberties (not to mention sport). I am a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Intelligence and Security Committee and I am currently the chairman of the special select committee investigating the Damian Green affair. In the last few months I have appeared on Any Questions and Question Time. If you think I and the party are not getting enough coverage have a word with the editor of The Independent.
Do you accept that the fledgling democracy in Iraq shows the invasion was worth its human cost? ROGER MANTHORPE POOLE No. It is not in anyone's interest that Iraq should become a "failed state" and if democracy is taking root we should all be glad and supportive, although there is still a long way to go. But the cost to the United Kingdom in blood and treasure has been immense, the damage to our influence in the region and at the United Nations has been incalculable, and the price paid by the people of Iraq has been unacceptable. As I said at the time, the war was based on a flawed prospectus, legally and strategically. Nothing that has happened since has convinced me
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 ����
OPINION&DEBATE 33
Philip Hensher
Blasphemy laws can only invite trouble
David, you're just too much of a good thing
I LOVE the actor David Tennant as much as anyone; I like his cheeky face and his mobile eyebrows; I like him when he is being estuary as Doctor Who, or being Scottish as himself. All the same, I wonder when we might find that we've had enough of the cheeky face and the mobile eyebrows. Over the Christmas season, he appeared no fewer than 75 times on the BBC, including on QI, Catherine Tate, Hamlet, Desert Island Discs and, of course, Doctor Who. A future measure of over-exposure: one Tennant equals 75 appearances in a period of three weeks. Television has a terrible history of killing off the appeal of talent by grossly overexposing it � think of the careers of John Sessions and Tony Slattery. I don't blame Mr Tennant for saying yes to everything, but it does seem irresponsible of the BBC to fail to manage its talent in a way that will nurture its future. Neither a dearth nor a flood; and in the meantime, it might be quite nice to remember some of those actors who, 10 or 20 years ago, were in Mr Tennant's position, and who seem to have been unfeelingly dropped. A quick glance through the old cast list of the Channel 4 early-1990s game show Whose Line Is It Anyway might suggest some people who, dare one say it, are still fairly talented.
O
n 1 January, the Irish state introduced a new law. It extends the offence of blasphemy, which previously had only covered the Christian religion. It defines blasphemy as "publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted". The punishment for intentionally causing outrage in this way is �25,000. "Any religion"? Woo. There are quite a lot of religions out there, in case the Irish state hadn't noticed. There is Scientology, for a start. Mormonism proposes that an angel appeared to Joseph Smith with a new sacred book written on golden plates, published in 1830. Christian Science teaches that sickness is the result of fear, ignorance or sin. There are plenty of religions, too, which are widely regarded as dead, but which a little research could, I am sure, turn up a few dozen practitioners. I bet there are quite a lot of amateur adherents of the cult of Odin still out there. There are, too, some still odder and more recently invented religions; few people, even those within the wider religious community, could avoid stepping on these toes just by saying what they themselves believe in. There is a Church of Satan, active since the 1960s, founded by one Anton Szandor LaVey. Could they not bring a case for "intentionally caused outrage" against any number of members of more respectable religions? Still, I'm glad that the Irish Parliament used the word "intentionally" in framing its new offence. Once, in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, I observed a sequence of widows approaching one of a long line of lingams in the great Hindu temple there, and noticed that
they did not hesitate before choosing one to drape in a garland. I quite innocently asked our guide whether a widow would have a preferred lingam to decorate: this evidently caused immense offence, and he would hardly speak to me again, to my great (and ignorant) distress. At least I wouldn't be prosecuted in Ireland. The Atheist Ireland association has immediately produced a list of distinguished comments, made over the ages, which they claim would fall foul of the new blasphemy law. It includes the founders of ancient religions, including Jesus and Mohammed; modern adherents such as the Pope quoting a Byzantine emperor on Islam ("things only evil and inhuman"); as well as Richard Dawkins, Jerry Springer: The Opera, and Frank Zappa saying that religion is a product of "the chimpanzee part of the brain working". I don't suppose anyone will really be prosecuted in Ireland for practising free speech, and I suspect that legislation against real, active hate crime intended to bring down violence on the head of minorities would have been enough. There is an alarming prospect, though, that in other parts of the world, laws like this would have a real, dangerous application. In 1993, a blasphemy law was introduced to the Bangladeshi parliament with a provision for capital punishment. It failed, because its definitions of blasphemy were so in excess of any parallel law in the rest of the civilised world. No longer. The Irish government has seen that the blasphemy laws are no longer appropriate for our society, but they have drawn a disastrous conclusion, and extended them rather than limiting them. Religion is just a system of thought, and must not be protected in ways not appropriate to any other system of thought. None of us likes being insulted, but only a priest seeks to pass a law against it.
ZAK HUSSEIN/PA
For some the holiday is never-ending
HAVE YOU gone back to work this morning? Or are you managing to squeeze another day, or even another week, out of Christmas and the new year? One of the astonishing developments of recent history is the way that no member of anything resembling the professional classes would dream of going back to work until the fourth or fifth of January. This year, as far as I can make out, everyone packed up on Friday 18 December and started to think about coming back on 4 January. Two and a half weeks seems excesgood for mental health. In any case, everyone knows that the most enjoyable holiday is the one you take when everyone else is working, sailing through the streets on a Tuesday afternoon in mid-March. Was it just me, or did those waiters serving you at lunchtime on the 27 December have a faintly serene air, as if pleased to have something to do and somewhere to go. Much as I love my nearest and dearest, it was rather a pleasure to be able to say, on Boxing Day, "I'm awfully sorry � I've got to put in my three hours on the novel," and disappear.
sive to me for a country in deepest recession, but, as you can see, along with street cleaners, waiters and shop assistants, I myself have been hard at work. This excessive and ever-expanding holiday can't be
Progressive Conservatism will mean a fairer, greener society
Podium
David Cameron
IF WE win this year's election Britain will be under new economic management. We will send out the loudest signal that this country is back open for business and ready for investment. Decline is not inevitable. Confidence can return. If we take action now � to get a grip on the public finances and unleash enterprise � Britain can have a bright economic future. A strong economy gives us the foundation for a better life. But the mission that drives this party is building a stronger society. We are progressive Conservatives. Our goal is a fairer, safer, greener country where opportunity is more equal. It's because we are progressives that we will protect the NHS. We recognise its special place in our society so we will improve it for everyone. It's because we are progressives that we will support aspiration so that people from every background, not just the rich, have the chance to get on in life. A pupil premium that gives the poorest children the chance to go to the best state schools. Welfare reform that helps those in long-term poverty move into long-term employment. Strengthening families with practical and financial help to give parents time with their children and keep couples together. We will fight back against the root causes of deprivation � drug addiction, alcoholism, indebtedness, failing prisons. It's because we are progressives that we will support responsibility and strong families so we help mend our broken society and tackle the crime and misery it brings. A decade of big government and blunt, bureaucratic control has undermined responsibility and made our social problems worse, not better. We are determined to forge a new direction. We will use the state to help remake society by encouraging people to take responsibility for themselves and for one another. We will provide new opportunities for community groups, neighbourhood organisations, charities, social enterprises to help rebuild our civil society. We will create incentives and use the best technology to encourage and enable people to come together, solve their problems together, make this society stronger together. As we do this we will redistribute power from the political elite to the man and woman in the street. Taken from a speech given on Saturday by the leader of the Conservatives
34
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Obituaries
2 DERRY STREET, LONDON W8 5HF TELEPHONE: 020 7005 2882 FAX: 020 7005 2399
Email: obituaries@independent.co.uk
ROY DISNEY
Film executive who became the conscience of Walt Disney and revived the company's fortunes
he nephew of the late Walt Disney, the most famous name associated with animated films, Roy Disney made a notable impact on the direction Disney's film empire took in recent years. He was a fierce protector of the Disney tradition, his courageous usurping of powerful board members, Ronald W. Miller (a former professional football player who was Walt Disney's son-inlaw) and later the formidable Michael Eisner, who he felt were betraying the company's heritage, earning him the reputation of being a real-life version of Pinocchio's conscience, Jiminy Cricket. In the 1980s, the studio was in decline its famed animation department had been allowed to disintegrate, and Roy was responsible for promoting a renaissance that resulted in such critical and commercial hits as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), the latter the first animated feature to win an Oscar nomination as Best Picture. (Roy Disney's installation of a computerised post-production facility made possible the revolving ballroom scene in the film.) His father, Roy Oliver Disney, had co-founded the Disney Cartoon Studio with his brother Walt in 1923 (it was later renamed The Walt Disney Studio). "My father and Walt had a definite agreement that Dad was the business end and Walt the creative end, and only occasionally did one question the other." Though a tough negotiator, Roy was also an avuncular figure who looked like his celebrated uncle. Shy, polite and likeable, he was popular with staff. "He was happy to sit in a room with a beer and a hot dog and talk about story ideas," recalled animation producer Don Hahn. "He would walk through the halls, unannounced, and drop by and say hello. That kind of involvement was not only empowering but encouraging to us." The only child of Roy O. and Edna Disney, Roy was born in Los Angeles in 1930. He was coming up to his eighth birthday when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had its premiere, and he told me his most vivid memory of the occasion was seeing one of the chief animators, Ward Kimball, looking around near the end of the film when the dwarfs are kneeling round the bier of Snow White. Seeing most of the audience wiping their eyes, he said, "My God, it's just a bunch of drawings!" Roy had a childhood many would envy. He was allowed to play around the studio, where animators would try their work out on him to see if he thought it funny. "Walt wanted everybody's opinion and reaction. He was a pretty good listener until he made up his mind, then you could forget it." Roy also liked to tell of the time when he had chickenpox, and Walt sat by his bed and read him the story of Pinocchio, which he was planning to make as a film. "When the movie came
`He was happy to sit in a room with a beer and a hot dog and talk about story ideas,' a former employee said of Disney. `That kind of involvement was not only empowering but encouraging to us': Disney in 1999 JOE BURBANK/AP
T
out," said Roy, "It was a big let-down for me. It was nowhere near as good as Walt's version." Despite the agreement on responsibilities between Roy's father and his uncle, their relationship was often stormy, and there was a long period when they communicated only through memos. "My uncle was not an easy person to work for. He was just relentless in looking for quality, and made everybody's life difficult. I once said to Bill Peet, a brilliant story man who worked for the studio from Pinocchio on and who got sole story credit on 101 Dalmations, `What really kept you working there?', and he said, `Poverty, Roy. There really was no place for artists to go to find a good job in the Thirties and Forties. But Walt wanted the absolute best you could do and then a little bit more.'" Walt Disney was also a ruthless editor, prepared to delete sequences that had taken months to perfect if he thought it was for the good of the final product, and Roy, after graduating from Pomona College, got his own start in the industry as an assistant editor on the television series, Dragnet. He joined Disney in 1953, working on the studio's acclaimed "true life adventure" series. "They were entirely the product of the editing rooms. I'd watched the first one, Seal Island (1949) being made up of some three or four hours of film that had been shot of seals on this island up in the Bering Sea. The only way you could make it into a story was in the editing room. It was a great lesson in film-making because it made me understand the power that film has to do things that aren't necessarily real." Roy worked on nature films for over 20 years, including the Oscar-winning documentaries The Living Desert (1953) and The Vanishing Prairie (1954), and the Oscar-nominated short subject, Mysteries of the Deep (1959). After the deaths of Walt in 1966 and his father in 1971, Roy found his attempts to take a larger role in the company were being blocked, and in 1977 he left the studio, though he remained on its board as a director. Teaming up with lawyer Stanley Gold, he became a prosperous financier as chairman of the company Shamrock Holdings (named after one of Roy's racing sloops), which flourished as canny investor and corporate raider, noted for mounting hostile take-over bids. Meanwhile he became increasingly concerned at the Disney corporation's neglect of its feature animation department, likening the company to "a real estate company that happens to be in the movie business." Gold later related, "I told him, `You need to get all the way in or all the way out. Either sell your shares in Disney and go independent, or put up a fight and get rid of the managers and find real managers for this business.'" Roy resigned from the board in 1984
and mounted a successful bid to oust two of the company's chief executives (not easy since one of them was Walt Disney's son-in-law) and revive its animation department. Forming an alliance with the billionaire Bass family of Texas, Disney returned to the board and forced out management, installing Michael Eisner as chief executive. Roy gave Eisner the mandate to revive the animation department, which was enduring some of its worstever reviews for its latest product, The Black Cauldron (1985), and he persuaded the studio to invest around $10m in a digital ink and paint system developed by Pixar, the firm that pioneered computer-generated animation. John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, said, "I really credit Roy Disney completely with the renaissance of Disney animation, beginning with The Little Mermaid, all the way through that great amazing series of classic
Disney films." The other animated features included Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994). In 2000 Roy realised a long ambition to made a sequel to Fantasia, the 1940 collection of classical music items given visual presentation. Walt Disney's original plan had been to reissue the film every few years with new sections added and others removed, and Roy did that with Fantasia 2000, though, like the original, it was not a commercial success. I first met Roy when he was promoting the film in London, and we met again the following year when the newly-remastered Snow White was being issued on DVD for the first time. He was, I later learned, feuding with Eisner, and was becoming increasingly marginalised. When I mentioned to him how disturbed I was that the recent DVD releases of the vintage Disney films Saludos Amigos, Melody Time and Make Mine Music, had all been cut for perceived political cor-
rectness, he was totally sympathetic with my concern, and replied, "I was really angry. Nobody asked me, and I would not have let them do that. We're having meetings now to fix this problem because this is history. One suggestion is that we issue the films in two versions. If you want your kids to see Pecos Bill without a cigarette in his mouth (give me a break!) you can have it both ways. But we need to preserve historic works in their original form." In 2003, when he discovered that his name had been left off the roll for election as director at the next annual meeting, he made a statement that Eisner's leadership had created a studio perceived as "rapacious, soulless and always looking for the `quick buck' rather than long-term value." He helped establish a website, SaveDisney.com, then called on share-holders to cast a vote of no confidence in Eisner, prompting a remarkable 45 per cent. In response, directors removed Eisner as board chairman, and Eisner later announced that he would retire when his contract ended in 2006. "People always underestimated Roy," said the former president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Peter Schneider. "You underestimate Roy at your peril, as many people have learned." In 2005, Disney and Gold issued a lawsuit challenging the procedures that had allowed Eisner to handpick his successor, Robert A. Iger, but the suit was withdrawn when Iger offered Disney an office at the Burbank studio, a consultancy and the title "director emeritus". An active philanthropist, Disney supported the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, sustaining the dream of his father and Walt to create a top arts college in Southern California, and in 2005 he pledged $10m to establish the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Centre in Burbank, California. Disney married Patty Dailey, the sister of a boyhood friend, in 1955, and they had four children. They divorced in 2007, and the following year he married Leslie DeMeuse, who had made documentaries about Disney's passion, sailing. The couple had made a sailing film together in 2000. In 1999 Roy fulfilled a lifelong dream by winning the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu (2,225 miles), setting a new course record. He had a castle in Ireland as a holiday home, plus two homes in California (Los Angeles and Newport Beach), and at the time of his death he owned 16 million shares in The Walt Disney company. He was the last of the Disney family to be associated with the studio. Tom Vallance Roy Edward Disney, film executive: born Los Angeles 10 January 1930; married 1955 Patricia Ann Dailey (divorced 2007; two sons, two daughters), 2008 Leslie De-Meuse; died Newport Beach, California 16 December 2009.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
OBITUARIES 35
Edmund Hillary conquers South Pole
After a 1,200-mile journey by `tractor train' across Antartica, Sir Edmund Hillary and his team arrived at the South Pole, the first overland party to reach the pole since Scott's expedition of 1912
1958
Saturday 4 January
CHRISTOS LAMBRAKIS
Press baron who used his empire to wield influence in Greece for more than half a century
hristos Lambrakis was invariably known as the Citizen Kane of Greece, the Patriarch of Greek media, the dark centre of diaploki (interwoven interests) and as a champion of democracy and patron of the arts. For over half a century he had eyes and ears throughout Greek society and was credited with making and breaking governments, yet hardly anything was written about him. He inspired fear, deference and admiration in equal measure. Until his death, a Google search under his name provided only a handful of superficial results. The only work about him published in Athens, in 1982, disappeared from bookshops the following day and its editor was advised not to pursue the matter. He complied but kept a single copy in his run-down office. Christos Lambrakis was born in 1934 in Athens to a rising media empire, the Lambrakis Media Group or DOL, founded in 1922 by his father, Dimitri. In the 1950s he studied in London at the London School of Economics and throughout his life regularly returned out of passion for the city's theatre and opera. In 1957, his father died and Christos
C
took over the Group, namely the respected dailies Ta Nea and To Vima. By the time he was 30 he had established himself as the rainmaker of Greek politics. Eventually he commanded 20 per cent of the Greek readership, with three top-selling dailies, 24 weeklies and monthlies ranging from financial and political journals to family, sports and wedding magazines, and he also held influential stakes in television and publishing. Like many democratic figures in Greece he suffered imprisonment in 1968 as a potentially hostile editor against the ruling military Junta. Unlike some other newspapers, such as Kathimerini, which closed shop in protest at the censorship laws, he kept publishing and the Group received loans from the Junta for the construction and housing of a new printing plant. In 1999 he went into electronic media, followed by e-commerce. The company went public in 1998 with Lambrakis retaining overall control. It was recognised that once you worked for his Group you were tied for life because in a country that functions through connections this was the best in town. Over the years, many DOL
He inspired fear, deference and admiration equally: Lambrakis in 2006 AP
journalists and editors went into politics. Three became Prime Ministers and dozens became ministers, often walking out of DOL straight into the ministry. More became MPs or MEPs.
By chance or foresight, DOL men walked into ministries when lucrative government contracts were at hand; confidential state documents seemed easily accessible to him or to his cho-
sen journalists. He kept an exclusive circle of leading figures from the most powerful party in Greece, PASOK, and of tried and tested editors and political commentators of Ta Nea and To Vima. On the eve of every general election they met to chat about forthcoming events. But unlike most of them, he was legendary for walking to work unprotected and driving his Volkswagen Beetle. The number and quality of his titles could hardly be justified by usually average sales; the explanation lies in political connections. His travel agency, Travel Plan, had offices inside the Foreign Ministry; it was responsible for all the ministry's travel arrangements. Nothing went unnoticed. In this respect, DOL's self-description was apt: "the largest and most influential Company Group in Greece". In 1994 his name was floated as a potential presidential candidate. This might have turned him into a Greek Berlusconi, but he never shared the Italian's appetite for publicity. He knew that international exposure implied international scrutiny. His greatest love was music. It took a man of his stature to sweep aside petty political squabbles and rally round him big wallets to provide Athens with a world class Concert Hall, the Megaro Mousikis. He did the same in Thessaloniki, as well as supporting smaller projects in other parts of Greece. As with the Greek empire of Alexander the Great, his death may herald the division and demise of his own. But his impact will survive, if only through his non-profit Lambrakis Research Foundation. He never married. Constantine Buhayer Christos Lambrakis, businessman: born Athens 24 February 1934; died Athens 21 December 2009.
LOUISA MARK
Singer and originator of the Lovers Rock genre
overs Rock was a peculiarly British reggae genre, inspired as much by the sweet sounds of Philly soul as by the music coming out of Jamaica. It originated with the first generation of West Indians born in London in the 1950s and was at first frowned upon by aficionados of the more militant rasta, roots and dub rhythms from the island. Yet Lovers Rock had mainstream appeal, as illustrated by the popularity of "Silly Games", the Janet Kay single which spent the summer of 1979 in the UK charts and peaked at No 2, and the success of Maxi Priest in the 1980s. Louisa Mark recorded the first Lovers Rock single, "Caught You In A Lie" � a cover of a song written in 1966 by the rhythm and blues vocalist Robert Parker of "Barefootin'" fame � in 1975 when she was only 15. The session, produced by the sound system operator Lloyd "Coxsone" Blackford � not a relation of the Jamaican legend Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd � with the British reggae band Matumbi backing Mark, took place at Gooseber-
Gazette
Birthdays
Charles Allen, former chief executive, ITV, 53; Jackie Ballard, Chief Executive, Royal National Institute for Deaf People, 57; Grace Bumbry, soprano and mezzo-soprano, 73; Dyan Cannon, actress, 73; Alexander Chancellor, journalist, 70; Chris Cutler, musician and theorist, 63; Sir William Deane, former Governor-General of Australia, 79; Beth Gibbons, singer and songwriter, 45; Robin Guthrie, musician, 48; Professor Brian Josephson, physicist and Nobel prize-winner, 70; Harmony Korine, filmmaker, 37; John McLaughlin, guitarist, 68; Margaret Marshall, soprano, 61; Mick Mills, former England football captain, 61; Roger Mosey, Director of London 2012 Olympic Games coverage, BBC, 52; Baroness Pitkeathley, chair, Children & Families Court Advisory & Support Service, 70; Barbara Rush, actress, 83; Julian Sands, actor, 52; Dr Phyllis Starkey MP, 63; Rick Stein, chef and broadcaster, 63; Michael Stipe, rock singer, 50; Bernard Sumner, guitarist and singer, 54; Rob Wilson MP, 45. For GAZETTE notices, telephone 020 7005 2882, fax 020 7005 2399 or e-mail gazette@independent.co.uk. Charges are �2 a word (VAT extra).
L
ry Studio in London. Issued on Coxsone's Safari label, her version of "Caught You In A Lie" sold 50,000 copies, mostly in small shops run by the West Indian community, rather than chart return outlets. The diminutive girl with the sweet, yearning, distinctive vocals, made enough money to buy a fur coat, high heels and a large hat which impressed fellow pupils at Hammersmith County School and became something of a trademark. Mark followed her first single with a cover of The Beatles' "All My Loving" in 1975 but stayed on to complete her education after falling out with Blackford. In 1977, she hooked up with Clement Bushay, house producer at Trojan Records, for "Keep It Like It Is", and the next year released a lovely version of "Even Though You're Gone", a ballad written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for The Jacksons' Goin' Places album. She followed that with "Six Sixth Street", another tale of love lost suited to her plaintive voice. The single, produced and co-
written by Bushay with Joseph "Tunga" Charles, and made with the group The In Crowd, topped the reggae charts in 1978. Bushay oversaw Breakout, an album Mark felt was unfinished but which came out on Bushay's own label in 1981. The next year, she cut a version of the Jones Girls' "Mum And Dad" arranged by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, but was little heard after the "Hello There" single in 1984. She made the occasional live appearance at Lovers Rock revival events in the UK in recent years. She was born to Grenadian parents in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London, and came to Coxsone's notice after winning a talent contest for 10 consecutive weeks at the Four Aces Club in Dalston, east London, where performers were usually booed off by the notoriously tough audience of West Indian immigrants and their offspring. Coxsone provided dub plates for the contestants to sing over and wasted no time in taking Mark into the studio. "Caught You In A Lie" became a favourite at London's blues parties
Mark: sweet, yearning vocals
and sold steadily � 10,000 copies in the first two weeks � without crossing over into the mainstream charts. However, it was picked up by Gussie Clarke for the Jamaican market, a rare accolade for a British-made reggae record. In 1978, Mark was voted best female reggae vocalist by readers of the magazine Black Echoes, beating Marcia Griffiths, of Bob and Marcia, and Bob Marley's I-Threes, into second place. Mark died in The Gambia, where she had been living and doing charity work for the past six years. Pierre Perrone Louisa Lynthia Mark, singer: born London 11 January 1960; one daughter, one son; died The Gambia 17 October 2009.
36 WEATHER
Today
General situation: Sun and the odd coastal wintry shower for England and Wales. Cloudy in Scotland with snow showers, mainly in the North later. A few wintry showers for Northern Ireland. Very cold. N & W Isles, NW & NE Scotland: Cloudy with showers of sleet and snow, especially later. Windy. Cold. Max temp 1-4C (34-39F). Tonight, snow showers. Min temp -6 to -3C (21-27F). SW & SE Scotland, NW & NE England, Yorkshire: Bright and frosty for a time, then cloudy. A chance of a wintry shower. Very cold. Max temp -1 to 2C (30-36F). Tonight, snow showers. Min temp -8 to -5C (18-23F). Wales, N Ireland, SW England, Cent S England: Early frost, then mostly sunny with a few wintry showers on north-west coasts. Max temp 1-4C (34-39F). Tonight, snow showers. Min temp -6 to -3C (21-27F). London, SE England, E Anglia, Lincolnshire, E & W Midlands: A frosty start, then sunny with the odd coastal shower. Max temp 0-3C (32-37F). Tonight, frosty. Min temp -7 to -4C (19-25F). Channel Is: Bright with some sun, but also a few scattered wintry showers. Max temp 1-4C (34-39F). Tonight, clear spells. Min temp -1 to 2C (30-36F).
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Yesterday
4 1 2
Air pollution
Rural Town Roadside
Britain extremes
2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 Warmest St. Mary's 8oC (46oF) Coldest Tulloch Bridge -15oC (5oF) Wettest Holbeach 3.2mm Sunniest Odiham 7.1hrs for 24hrs to 2pm yesterday
Around the world C
o
o
F
o
C
o
F
1 16 1
London S England Wales C England Midlands N England Scotland N Ireland E Anglia
� 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Towns and cities
For 24hrs to 4pm yesterday Sun Rainfall (hrs.) (mm) oC
o
F
4 1 2 2 2 2 2 9 2 1 2 13 2 0 2
Low (1-3) Moderate (4-6) High (7-9) V.High (10)
Sun and moon
Sun rises Sun sets Moon rises Moon sets Last quarter 08:04 16:06 21:31 09:57 January 7 4.12pm 4.07pm 4.16pm 4.21pm 3.55pm 4.00pm 4.06pm 4.04pm 3.54pm to to to to to to to to to 8.42am 8.15am 8.13am 8.19am 8.39am 8.43am 8.04am 8.22am 8.26am
Lighting up
Belfast Birmingham Bristol Cardiff Edinburgh Glasgow London Manchester Newcastle
The Atlantic at noon today
HIGH LOW N LOW LOW LOW
LOW P
Low N will move south-east and deepen slightly. Low P situated over Denmark will move east and maintain intensity.
HIGH
High tides
Avonmouth 9.36 Cork 6.55 Dover 1.10 Greenock 2.50 Harwich 1.46 Holyhead 12.26 Hull (Albert Dk) 8.39 Liverpool 12.26 London 4.01 Milford Haven 8.37 Portsmouth 1.26 Pwllheli 10.28 13.9 4.5 6.9 3.4 4.1 5.7 7.6 9.6 7.0 7.4 4.8 5.3 10.03 13.4 7.16 4.3 1.33 6.7 2.41 3.9 2.15 4.1 12.42 6.0 8.45 7.9 12.45 9.8 4.28 7.3 9.03 7.0 1.36 4.8 10.55 5.0
LOW
Five-day forecast
Sleet and snow for central and southern parts on Tuesday. Bright with snow showers elsewhere. Further snow showers on Wednesday, heavy in the East and South-east. Bright on Thursday with snow showers in the East and South-east easing. Thereafter, cold and bright with wintry showers.
Tomorrow
-1 2 1 1 2
Wednesday
-2 2
Thursday
-3 1 1 1 1 2
Friday
-4 2 0 0 2 1 1
Saturday
-4 1 2 1 2
Aberdeen Aviemore Barrow Belfast Bexhill Birmingham Bognor Regis Bournemouth Bristol Camborne Cardiff Cromer Durham Edinburgh Falmouth Glasgow Guernsey Holyhead Hull Ipswich Isle of Man Isle of Wight Jersey Kirkwall Leeds Lerwick Liverpool London Manchester Margate Northallerton Nottingham Okehampton Oxford Peterborough Plymouth Prestwick Shrewsbury Skegness Southend Stornoway Tiree Yeovil
2.8 0.0 ** 5.1 4.7 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.1 0.6 4.8 ** 0.4 1.7 3.7 5.9 5.6 5.3 1.5 5.3 1.8 ** 4.7 1.6 2.7 1.0 ** 4.2 6.1 1.6 1.2 6.2 1.4 6.5 6.2 ** 5.0 5.5 ** ** 0.7 ** **
0.2 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.1 0.2 0.5 0.4 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.8 0.1 0.0 ** 1.0 0.3 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.6 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.9 0.5 0.4 ** 0.0
2 -4 3 3 3 1 4 3 2 4 2 3 -1 -2 5 2 5 2 1 1 4 4 4 4 0 3 1 2 1 2 0 0 2 2 1 3 -1 1 3 2 3 ** 3
36 25 37 37 37 34 39 37 36 39 36 37 30 28 41 36 41 36 34 34 39 39 39 39 32 37 34 36 34 36 32 32 36 36 34 37 30 34 37 36 37 ** 37
Algiers s 18 Alicante s 16 Amsterdam c -1 Ankara s 6 Athens s 15 Auckland c 22 Bangkok f 32 Barbados c 29 Barcelona f 12 Beijing sn -9 Beirut c 20 Belgrade c 0 Berlin s -5 Bodrum f 19 Bordeaux c 3 Boston sn -2 Brisbane th 27 Brussels s -4 Bucharest sn 0 Buenos Aires f 29 Cairo f 21 Cape Town c 21 Casablanca c 19 Chicago s -13 Christchurch s 26 Copenhagen c -7 Corfu f 12 Crete f 19 Dallas s 8 Darwin c 27 Dubai s 22 Dublin c 3 Faro c 17 Florence s 7 Frankfurt sn 0 Geneva c -2 Gibraltar s 15 Hamburg sn -4 Harare c 28 Helsinki sn -19 Hong Kong c 18 Istanbul sh 8 Jakarta c 31 Jerusalem f 20 Johannesburg c 20 Kathmandu m 15 Kiev s -10 Kingston (Jamaica) f 29 Lagos c 31 Larnaca s 19 Lima c 25 Lisbon f 14 Los Angeles s 23
64 61 30 43 59 72 90 84 54 16 68 32 23 66 37 28 81 25 32 84 70 70 66 9 79 19 54 66 46 81 72 37 63 45 32 28 59 25 82 -2 64 46 88 68 68 59 14 84 88 66 77 57 73
Madrid Majorca Malaga Malta Manila Melbourne Mexico City Miami Milan Mombasa Montreal Moscow Mumbai Munich Nairobi Naples New Delhi New Orleans New York Nice Nicosia Oslo Paris Perth (Australia) Prague Reykjavik Rhodes Rio de Janeiro Riyadh Rome San Francisco Santiago Seoul Seychelles Singapore St. Petersburg Stockholm Sydney Tel Aviv Tenerife Tokyo Toronto Vancouver Venice Vienna Warsaw Washington Wellington Zurich
c s s s f c c s c s sn s f c s s fg c c c s c s s c s f f s s f s s c f sn c f f s s s r s sn sn c sh s
8 16 16 16 29 19 18 16 1 31 -8 -18 30 -2 20 10 14 8 -3 8 17 -11 4 39 -2 -5 18 29 22 8 12 32 -6 30 31 -19 -9 19 20 22 9 -14 8 5 -1 -9 -2 18 -2
46 61 61 61 84 66 64 61 34 88 18 0 86 28 68 50 57 46 27 46 63 12 39 102 28 23 64 84 72 46 54 90 21 86 88 -2 16 66 68 72 48 7 46 41 30 16 28 64 28
c, cloudy; dr, drizzle; f, fair; fg, fog; h, hail; hz, hazy; m, mist; r, rain; s, sunny; sh, showers; sl, sleet; sn, snow; ss, sandstorm; th, thunder. Most recent available figure, noon local time.
READER OFFER
Minigorilla
Only �94.95 including UK p&p
The minigorilla portable charger is designed specifically to work with the latest netbooks, giving users hours of back-up power. It is also able to charge e-readers, camcorders, mobile phones and many more electronic products that require a 19v DC input or less.
Featuring a range of voltage settings (8.4v, 9.5v, 10.5v, 12v & 19v), the minigorilla has a 5v USB output, meaning you can recharge your mobile, iPod, iPhone, PDA, PSP and more. It will give up to 5-6 hours on a Sony Vaio netbook, up to 2 hours on other netbooks and up to a third of a charge on a Sony PSP or Nintendo DS. The minigorilla portable charger has a laser-etched rubber coating, meaning it's tough and durable. Supplied with a universal AC travel charger that works in over 150 countries around the world, a neoprene carry case and a whole host of monkeynuts to allow connectivity to the most popular of electronic products.
SAVE �5.00 OF
F RRP
Call: 01420 542 980 quoting INDMG
independentoffers.co.uk
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
37
"We have in the space of a few months gone from being spendthrifts to models of prudence"
Hamish McRae, page 39
Business
DAVID PROSSER BUSINESS EDITOR
Financial crisis was not the Fed's fault, Bernanke insists
2 Watchdogs must become smarter to prevent repeat of credit crunch, says chairman
By James Moore
DEPUTY BUSINESS EDITOR
Briefing
Your pensions policy is failing, ministers told
MILLIONS OF BRITONS will retire in poverty unless the Government radically alters its policy on workplace pensions, a study warns today. Nearly nine in 10 final-salary pension schemes have been closed to new members while one in five are closed to all members, a survey by the Association of Consulting Actuaries found. A quarter of employers are considering cutting benefits when they have to enrol all staff into pensions, while 94 per cent of companies believe the Government's pension policy is failing.
FULL STORY, WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
THE CHAIRMAN of the US Federal Reserve last night blamed poor financial regulation for the financial crisis and defended the record of America's central bank. Ben Bernanke also called for urgent improvements to financial oversight to prevent a repeat of an economic storm that he said could ultimately prove to be "the worst in history". In a speech to the American Economic Association in Atlanta, Georgia, Mr Bernanke argued that low interest rates in the first five years of the new milliennium were "appropriate" for the time and had not caused the "bubble" in US house prices. The Fed has been criticised by some economists who argue that it kept rates too low for too long, encouraging the property boom. The subsequent crash led to a surge in repossessions, leaving lenders with huge losses and the financial contagion quickly spread around the world. Mr Bernanke suggested that the bubble was inflated by poor mortgage underwriting and weak supervision of lenders, and he said this must change. "Surely, both the private sector and the financial regulators must improve their ability to monitor and control risk-taking," he added. "The crisis revealed not only weaknesses in regulators' oversight of financial institutions but also, more fundamentally, important gaps in the architecture of financial regulation around the world. "Stronger regulation and supervision aimed at problems with [mortgage] underwriting practices and lenders' risk management would have been a more effective and surgical approach to constraining the housing bubble than a general increase in interest rates. "Moreover, regulators, supervisors and the private sector could have more effectively addressed building
Kraft prepares sweeter offer for Cadbury
KRAFT IS preparing to sweeten its �10bn hostile bid for Cadbury's within the next two weeks. The US food company has until 19 January to table a fresh offer under Takeover Panel rules, after which it can only act if a rival comes in. The cashand-shares offer from the US maker of Dairylea spreads and Oreo cookies currently values Cadbury at 736p per share � 8 percent lower than its target's closing price of 797.5p on 31 December.
STOCK MARKETS
week's change
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke defending the US central bank's record in a speech this weekend CHRIS RANK/BLOOMBERG
FTSE 100 . . . . . . . . . 5412.88. . 84.22. . 1.58% M FTSE All Share . . . . 2760.80. . 43.62 . . 1.61% M DJ Euro Stoxx 50 . . 2966.24 . . 20.53 . 0.70% M Dow Jones. . . . . . . 10428.05 . -38.39 . -0.37% q Nikkei . . . . . . . . . . 10546.44 . 168.41. . 1.62% M
risk concentrations and inadequate risk management practices without necessarily having had to make a judgement about the sustainability of house prices." Mr Bernanke insisted the Federal Reserve had been "working hard to identify problems and to improve and strengthen our supervisory policies and practices", adding: " The lesson I take from this experience is not that financial regulation and supervision are ineffective for controlling emerging risks, but that their execution must be better and smarter." However, despite his remarks, he said policymakers should not rule out using interest rates as a measure to
prevent any future build-up of asset price bubbles. "If adequate reforms are not made, or if they are made but prove insufficient to prevent dangerous build-ups of financial risks, we must remain open to using monetary policy as a supplementary tool for addressing those risks," he explained. "Clearly, we still have much to learn about how best to make monetary policy and to meet threats to financial stability in this new era." Mr Bernanke's speech comes as the US Senate prepares to debate regulatory reforms that would remove the Fed's responsibility for overseeing large financial institutions and leave it to focus on interest rates, a move that
has already happened in Britain. Here, the Conservative Party has pledged to reverse this policy and return to the Bank of England its responsibility for supervising lenders. Mr Bernanke has argued against the Senate's move, saying it would damage oversight of the system by removing a crucial monitor. The Fed chairman, who took office in February 2006 following the long reign of Alan Greenspan, has been nominated for another term by President Obama. The Senate Banking Committee voted in his favour last month and, while his nomination remains contentious with some, it is expected to be confirmed.
CURRENCIES
Dollar . . . . . .1.6151 . . .+1.84c Euro . . . . . . .1.1275 . . . .+1.96c Yen . . . . . . .150.22 . .+~Y~4.77 Dollar-euro .1.4325 . . . .-0.87c � index . . . . .79.42 . . . . .-1.08
week's change
. . . .M . . . .M . . . .M . . . .q . . . .q
OTHER INDICATORS
Oil Brent $ /barrel . . . . . 77.93 Gold $ pm fix . . . . . . . . . . 1097.32 RPI % chg 12 m . . . . . . . . Base rate % . . . . . . . . . . .
week's change
+1.62 -8.07 0.3 0.5
M q
FTSE 100
+84.2
5412.88
5500 5400
Finance directors banking on better times in 2010
By James Moore
BRITAIN'S FINANCE directors are at their most confident for two years and are gearing up for expansion as concerns ease about the availability of credit and the strength of the recapitalised banking system, according to a quarterly study by Deloitte. The survey, which takes the views of 128 finance chiefs, including 37 from FTSE-100 companies, has found that nearly half of respondents still have concerns about the economy, with many fearing a "double dip" recession before a sustained recovery takes hold. Despite this, however, the balance of optimists against pessimists has hit a high of plus 44 � the best figure recorded in the 30-month history of the study. That compares with a low of minus 59 in the final quarter of 2008, shortly after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The study also found that 78 per cent of finance directors had confidence in the banking system's ability to sustain the recovery, and there was barely a mention among their chief concerns of liquidity problems and cashflow crises. Credit conditions, respondents said, have improved in terms of both price and availability, suggesting that banks are increasingly willing to lend to larger, well-capitalised businesses, although the debate continues over whether the banks are doing enough to help smaller firms. Yet most finance directors still say that bank loans are expensive and comparatively difficult to obtain. They are increasingly keen on using equity and bonds as alternative sources of funding to bank borrowing. That finding suggests the wave of bond and rights issues of 2009 is poised to continue through the coming year. Ian Stewart, the chief economist at Deloitte, said: "The views of finance directors are important because they are on the front line of dealing with the impact of the credit crisis on British companies. While they still expect a weak recovery, this suggests that the real crisis has abated. "Their priorities still remain cutting costs and preserving cashflow but the survey suggests conditions are much closer to normal than they have been for some time," he added.
5300
5200 M Tu W Th F
THEY SAID IT...
I thought the company was impregnable"
Sandy Weill, the former chief executive of Citigroup, in an interview with The New York Times. History has proven otherwise and the bank is now jettisoning many of the assets he bought.
38 BUSINESS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Banks warned that it's just half time in overdraft charge battle
But the tough-talking boss of the Office of Fair Trading says supermarkets are "competitive" and an ombudsman is not needed. By Martin Hickman
respectively during the past 20 years. But isn't it worrying that major supermarkets were fixing the prices of staples like tobacco or milk? "The work we do in this area is important," he replies. "But I think looking at the overall context of the supermarket sector, it's highly competitive. Prices in UK supermarkets are low by international standards. They've come down enormously. There's been huge innovation in supply and distribution, so I think 99 per cent of what supermarkets have done is very pro-consumer. "When supermarkets enter other sectors, whether it's petrol retailing or banking or other things, it's generally been good for consumers," he says, dismissing any need for shoppers to have a supermarket ombudsman. "As with airline pricing, very often it's in these very competitive markets where people have an incentive to do things. And it's often people within organisations, not necessarily at the top, who think: `Actually my figures need to be improved and I will engage in this up to �35 for running up unagreed overdrafts. But the OFT is confident that in the next few months banks will lower their charges � otherwise it will recommend Government legislation and there is political will from all three parties. Tellingly, Mr Fingleton, whose college nickname "Fingers" referred to his reputed Machiavellian politicking, describes the court defeat as "half-time". "I do think that with all of these cases, when these judgments come down very often they can appear to be a 0-1, but the reality is that in most of these cases is more like 48-52," he explains. "Not every consumer who got charged for unauthorised overdrafts necessarily should get their money back, and not everything the banks have done has been bad or wrong." During the last year or two, he says, income from the fees has fallen by 10 per cent, �260m a year: "So the banks' revenues have probably fallen quite dramatically down to the OFT." In any case, he says the regulator's job is to test the law. If it always won, that would "suggest that we were always shy of where the law actually was". No one wins from the current system of charges, he says. "One way of thinking about it is that if everybody stands up at a football match, nobody sees any better at the end of the day, but it will be less comfortable. So the banks and consumers have got themselves into a situation which is not particularly good for anybody but nobody wants to be the first to sit down and see nothing. Our job is to manage a process where that happens. That may mean more up-front charges... Everybody knows banks have costs, but at the moment we just don't see where they pay for them." Another big investigation is into web shopping. Mr Fingleton has respect for Ryanair, run by fellow Irishman Michael O'Leary, but castigates its "puerile, almost childish" behaviour over fees. "We've certainly tackled a lot of those issues with airline pricing, by having the prices up-front," he says, but for some things, such as creditcard fees, passengers cannot easily compare and switch products. Charging down the hidden highway between consumers and business, he shows no sign of running out of steam.
JOHN COGILL/ BLOOMBERG
The Business interview
John Fingleton
CV
Age: 44 Education 1983-87: Trinity College Dublin Scholar 1987-91: M. Phil. in Economics, Nuffield College, Oxford 1991: D. Phil in Economics, Nuffield College, Oxford Jobs 1991: Research officer, London School of Economics 1991-2000: Economics lecturer, Trinity College, Dublin 2000-2005: Chairperson, Irish Competition Authority 2005 to present: OFT Chief Executive Current Investigations Market inquiries into home sales, used cars, bank current accounts. Competition inquiries into airline fuel surcharges, milk, tobacco, recruitment agencies
BY RIGHTS, John Fingleton should be a dull Sir Humphrey, gingerly picking his way through the jungle of regulation that governs business, wary of the man-traps lying in wait for the head of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). As it is, in his interview with The Independent, the Irishman's eyes twinkle when they alight on a controversy and positively dance while his words charge through the thicket like an express train on an invisible swerving track. In his first four years, the fast-talking economist has careered through British business, smashing cartels, launching inquiries into price-fixing involving household names and handing out multimillion-pound fines. On the list of those he has fined so far are: Asda; the tobacco giant Gallaher and others �173m for fixing cigarette prices; Balfour Beatty and scores of other builders �129m for collusion; and British Airways �121m for a fuel cartel with Virgin (which escaped a fine by turning supergrass.) Dairies, Sainsbury's and Asda (again) received a �116m fine for colluding on milk; and a cartel being run by six recruitment agencies, including one owned by the Dragons' Den star James Caan, have paid out �39m. In its highest-profile case, the OFT is taking on high-street banks over their �2.6bn-a-year overdraft charges. At the OFT's concrete office-block off Fleet Street, London, Mr Fingleton stresses that, despite bruising many reputations and balance sheets, he is not anti-business. Quite the contrary, he says: price-fixing hurts firms by making them dangerously complacent. He singles out international phone calls and air travel as evidence of the benefits of competition: prices have fallen by 90 per cent and 80 per cent
"Not every consumer who got charged for unauthorised overdrafts necessarily should get their money back"
type of activity.'" The public, then, should not be worried by supermarkets but "a lot more worried" about professional and financial services such as banking "where [the public] do need to exercise their minds more about what value means, what contracts they're entering into, and be more wily as consumers." Mr Fingleton, 44, was re-appointed to his �272,497-a-year post for a further five years in November, a few days before he suffered one of the biggest setbacks of his tenure, in his three-year battle against overdraft charges. When he arrived in October 2005 after five years in charge of the Irish Competition Authority, the OFT had been doing "very good work," he says, but he decided it should do fewer, bigger investigations. On 25 November, the Supreme Court embarrassingly threw out one of these: that banks were breaking consumer law by charging customers
Legal Notices
In the High Court Court Case No. 22194 of 2009
ALLBURY TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED
Company No. 01073441 Notice is hereby given that I, Ninos Koumettou of AlexanderLawsonJacobs, 1 Kings Avenue Winchmore Hill London N21 3NA was appointed Administrator of the above named company on 23/12/2009. NINOS KOUMETTOU, Administrator (IP No 002240) T278084 In the High Court Court Case No. 22192 of 2009
PRICERIGHT AVIATION LIMITED
Company No. 03451207 Notice is hereby given that I, Ninos Koumettou of AlexanderLawsonJacobs, 1 Kings Avenue Winchmore Hill London N21 3NA was appointed Administrator of the above named company on 23/12/2009. NINOS KOUMETTOU, Administrator (IP No 002240) T278083
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
BUSINESS 39
Some reasons to be cheerful in the bumpy months ahead of us
Hamish McRae
Tax take tumbling as spending stays high
UK CURRENT RECEIPTS
% CHANGE YEAR ON YEAR, 12-MONTH MOVING AVERAGE, ADJUSTED BY CPI
UK GOVERNMENT SPENDING
% CHANGE YEAR ON YEAR, 12-MONTH MOVING AVERAGE
A
new year brings a new opportunity for economists to humiliate themselves by getting the forecasts utterly wrong. No major forecasting body caught correctly the scale of the slump in the UK last year � all were too optimistic � so why should people take seriously any commentaries, including this one, about the likely path of the economy this year? There is one thing that we can be very sure about: the need to come to terms with the catastrophe of public finances, of which more in a moment. But as for the likely path of the UK economy, or indeed the world economy, the most we can offer is intelligent guesswork. Please regard what follows in that spirit. The starting point is that some sort of bounce has taken place during the past few months, here in the UK but also across the developed world. Things are no longer going down. However that modest recovery is in a sense artificial in that it has required monetary and fiscal policies that have been unprecedented in peacetime. These include near-zero interest rates, quantitative easing or "printing money", huge fiscal deficits, one-off schemes such as the cut in VAT, and the car-scrapping programme. These cannot continue. Indeed those last two devices have now come certainly to an end and the "QE" programme probably has. Similar schemes in other countries are also being wound down. So within a few months the economy will, so to speak, be on its own. The policy stimulus will have ended. Interest rates will have started to rise and fiscal policy will have been tightened. That goes for us here but it also applies to other developed countries. The only issue is timing: does policy go into reverse in the next few months
or towards the end of the year? While that may have political significance, it is hard to see it having much economic significance. If everyone knows something is going to happen, they adjust their own behaviour in advance. You can see that already. One of the really interesting things that has been happening in recent months has been the way in which people have been paying back debt. Home-buyers seem to have been using the period of very low interest rates to reduce the size of their mortgage. The household savings ratio, which went negative two years ago as people borrowed more and more against the value of their homes, is now back to nearly 9 per cent. That is rather higher than the long-term trend. We have in the space of few months gone from being spendthrifts to models of prudence. Why? Presumably because we know that these economy-boosting policies will not last and we had better get our finances in shape while we can. In any case, the normal pattern for the downward chunk of an economic cycle is for recovery to be uneven. We know quite a lot about economic cycles and for all the claims that the present cycle is unprecedented, the fall in output from peak to trough may turn out to be slightly less than the fall that took place in Britain in the early 1980s. So there are precedents and if you look at these previous cycles, you often see an initial recovery, then some falling back of activity, and only after that does steady growth resume. If there were some kind of stutter in the economy in the coming months, as I rather expect there will be, that would be absolutely normal. Normal is not nice. We may now be starting a period where things seem to be slipping back. Retail sales may well be quite soft in the coming months; the recovery in house prices
8 6 4 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 -12 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Source: GFC Economics
may pause and prices fall back for a few months; the unemployment figures, which did seem to be turning round, may be disappointing. And there may, more generally, be a weakening of sterling and a significant rise in long-term interest rates. The reason for the last two points here would be a loss of confidence in the willingness of the country to get its finances back in order after the election, most probably because of fears that the next government will not get a working majority and,
By the end of the year, the recovery will be in place and we can look to a much brighter 2011
accordingly, will have neither the authority nor the confidence to tackle the deficit. That will indeed be very difficult. As you can see from the first graph, which shows what has happened to public spending in real terms (i.e. adjusted for inflation) during the past decade, the problem is not so much
that spending is shooting up now, but rather that the Government in reality lost control of its spending between 2002 and 2006. The economy was growing at a trend rate of 2.5 per cent, maybe a little higher. But spending was rising at between 4 per cent and nearly 8 per cent. Yes, spending has risen in response to the pressures of recession but the real damage was done between 2002 and 2006. The gap between spending and taxation was covered by borrowing. As you can see from the other graph, tax revenues in real terms were actually quite strong between 2003 and 2007, rising by around 4 per cent a year. That strength concealed the underlying weakness in public accounts. But then revenues collapsed. In the year to November, they were running 11 per cent down on the previous year. The central difficulty the next government will face is that these revenues may take a long time to recover. You can put tax rates up but you may not get much more money. Indeed, you may even get less. In the view of the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, the rise of the top rate of income tax to 50 per cent will probably bring in no additional revenue. People do not seem to understand this. I find it bizarre that they attack
bonuses when it is the tax revenue from the people who get big bonuses that helps keep down the tax rates for the rest of us. Can the next government can explain to voters that it needs more tax revenue and it may actually receive more revenue by cutting some rates, while increasing others? Tricky. The key point here is that the first half of the year will be very difficult. It is very hard to see any way round that. Whether the second half turns out to be better is still to play for. A bit will depend on the new government but more will depend on luck. We need a sustained world recovery. We need global interest rates to remain low. We need a competitive sterling, but not a run on the currency, which would push up long-term interest rates and increase the cost of servicing government debt. The trouble, of course, is that when you need luck you tend not to get it. What I am reasonably sure about, however, is that by the end of this year, the recovery will be in place and we can look to 2011 being a much brighter prospect. The public-sector deficit will take several years to correct but the better the growth, the more quickly it can happen. Remember that in the bumpy months ahead.
Business Diary
Kraft calls take flight to Portuguese coast
Diary's sympathies go out to the poor Aussie and his girlfriend whose new year break in Portugal was interrupted by several calls seeking information about Kraft's hostile bid for Cadbury. Callers to Kraft's PR company Brunswick usually get a transfer to the firm's duty officer when its offices are closed, but there appears to have been something of a foul-up with the system. Celebrating a bit too early perhaps? "We are trying to get to the bottom of it," says Sunday's duty officer.
businessdiary@independent.co.uk
Bernanke's got a gong but what about Merv?
No rest for the wicked. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee holds its first meeting of the year on Wednesday. With interest rates and
quantitative easing likely to remain on hold, the big question is whether Governor Mervyn King's Christmas was ruined by his opposite number in the US, Ben Bernanke, picking up Time magazine's person of the year gong. Those close to Mr King say his role in saving Britain from depression has yet to be recognised.
evenings, other than read Britain On The Couch: How Keeping Up with the Joneses Has Depressed Us Since 1950.
Essex boys keep it local thanks to Santander
A January update from the Bank of Essex. Yes, such a company really exists and, what's more, it is offering overdrafts to the county's businesses. Funded by Spanish giant Santander (owner of Abbey), the bank launched last year and serves the community where other institutions have failed. Essex girls (and boys) do it with their local bank, you might say.
Number of the day
�1.3bn
Going cheap: how to get the winter blues
Here's some good news to cheer you up and warm the cockles as the first week of 2010 continues with a big freeze. Amazon is offering 40 per cent off a tome by Oliver James (above) on how the capitalist dream has made us all thoroughly miserable over the past 60 years. After all, what else is there to do during long winter
Total state aid now extended to Japan Airlines after the government offered to double its credit at the weekend.
40 BUSINESS SHARES AND MARKETS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
M&S and Next to deliver Christmas verdict
FTSE 100 risers FTSE 250 risers
Change (p) Change (%) Price (p) Change (p) Change (%)
AIM risers
Price (p) Change (p) Change (%)
The Week Ahead
By James Thompson
THE FIRST major indicators of the festive trading period will come when the high-street bellwether Marks & Spencer and the fashion chain Next both post results on Wednesday. Despite thepoor weather, many large retailers are thought to have enjoyed robust trading, which has continued in the post-Christmas period. An upbeat statement from M&S for the third quarter is likely to boostother retail shares, though an over-cautious update could have the opposite effect. With M&S, the City will be focused on its underlying UK sales, guidance on gross margins � the difference between the price at which a retailer buys stock and the price it sells it for � and any update on when Marc Bolland, the outgoing chief executive of Morrisons, will take over the same role at the clothing and food giant from Sir Stuart Rose, its chairman. Sources close to M&S are confident he will join in the first half of 2010. In early November, M&S delivered negative UK half-year like-for-like sales in its food and general merchandise division, primarily clothing, but on an improved curve. UK food sales were marginally down by 0.3 per cent, while general merchandise was lower by 1.4 per cent for the 26 weeks to 26 September 2009. At its half-year results, M&S said its full-year 2009/10 UK gross margin would be down by between 50 and 100 basis points, an improvement on previous guidance issued earlier in the year. In November, Sir Stuart said: "We have had a good start to the third quarMarket Cap Stock Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap
Price (p)
British Land Hammerson Land Secs Antofagasta Liberty Intl Lonmin Legal & Gen SEGRO Smiths Kazakhmys
480 424 685 992 515 1959 80.60 344.60 1014 1328
32 25.10 40 56.50 28.50 79 3.15 11.60 33.50 40
7.14 6.29 6.20 6.04 5.86 4.20 4.07 3.48 3.42 3.11
Bovis Homes 434.70 Unite 299.50 Bellway 818 St Modwen Prop 194 SThree 294.70 Travis Perkins 852 Barratt Dev 124 Ashtead 81.20 Daejan 2849 Savills 320
43.20 24.90 64 14 20.60 50 7.10 4.40 154 17
11.03 9.07 8.49 7.78 7.52 6.23 6.07 5.73 5.71 5.61
Triple Plate Junction 1.03 Mercator Gold 2.88 Persian Gold 9.75 Templar Minerals 1.32 1pm 0.24 Baobab Resources 6.38 Burani Designer 7.50 Uranium Resources 2.25 Tower Resources 3.88 Bezant Resources 32.75
0.43 1 3.25 0.43 0.07 2 2.25 0.62 0.97 7.25
70.83 53.33 50 47.22 46.88 45.71 42.86 38.46 33.62 28.43
Diary Economics
TODAY: Bank of England (BoE) Lending to Individuals report; BoE Sectoral Breakdown of Aggregate M4 and M4 Lending; BoE Monetary & Financial Statistics; BoE Analysis of Bank and Building Society Deposits from and Lending to UK Residents THURSDAY: BoE Monetary Policy Committee interest rates announcement
FTSE 100 fallers
Price (p) Change (p) Change (%)
FTSE 250 fallers
Price (p) Change (p) Change (%)
AIM fallers
Price (p) Change (p) Change (%)
Randgold 5000 British Airw 186.90 Compass 445.20 Sage 220 BT 135 G4S 260.60 HSBC 708.80 BP 600 Royal Dutch Shell 'A' 1882 BG 1122
-170 -5.10 -8.80 -4 -2.20 -4.20 -10.10 -8.50 -26.50 -13
-3.29 -2.66 -1.94 -1.79 -1.60 -1.59 -1.40 -1.40 -1.39 -1.15
Melrose Resources 272.50 Fenner 167.50 HMV 92.80 Spirax-Sarco 1240 Dunelm 380 Paragon 131 Evolution 134.70 Brewin Dolphin 138 Tullett Prebon 278.90 Genus 674
-25.50 -10.50 -5.20 -69 -18 -4.90 -5 -4.80 -8.10 -19.50
-8.56 -5.90 -5.31 -5.27 -4.52 -3.61 -3.58 -3.36 -2.82 -2.81
Deo Petroleum 0.50 Acertec 1.25 Equest Inv Balkans 70 ClearSpeed Tech 3.50 XXI Century Inv 15 LED International 1 Interactive Prosp Targ 1.38 Bateman Litwin N.V. 2.90 Block Shield Corp 0.60 ACMH Limited 1.75
-0.38 -0.88 -37.50 -1.75 -7.50 -0.50 -0.62 -1.13 -0.20 -0.50
-42.86 -41.18 -34.88 -33.33 -33.33 -33.33 -31.25 -28.04 -25 -22.22
ter. However, the market remains competitive and we remain cautious about the outlook for Christmas and the year ahead." Meanwhile, rival Next will issue a sales update for the period from the end of July to 24 December. In November, Next fashioned better-than-expected retail underlying sales down by 1.3 per cent for the third quarter to 31 October. The clothing and homewares chain said if it achieved revised second-half guidance of sales no worse than 3 per cent down, the market consensus for full-year pre-tax profits would be up by about �30m to �472m. Including the November statement, Next upgraded its forecast four times in six months in 2009.
TODAY: Results/updates: IFG Group, Silence Therapeutics. TOMORROW: Results/updates: CRH.
Stock Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock
WEDNESDAY: Results/updates: Cape, Domino's Pizza UK & Ireland, Marks & Spencer, Next, White Young Green. THURSDAY: The grocery world will be keen to see if Sainsbury's, the UK's third-biggest supermarket, has suffered a further fall in underlying sales in its third quarter. In its second quarter to 3 October, the grocer's like-for-like sales, excluding fuel and adjusted for VAT, fell back to 4.6 per cent, although this was ahead of the most recent updates from rivals Tesco and Morrisons. Like other grocers, Sainsbury's strong underlying sales growth has been dented by falling food price inflation. Similarly to Tesco on Clubcard, Sainsbury's made a big push on its loyalty card, Nectar, before Christmas and analysts will scrutinise any comments made by its chief executive, Justin King,
Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock Price
about its impact. For the 28 weeks to 3 October, Sainsbury's posted pre-tax profits up 32.6 per cent to �342m. Results/updates: Caledonia Investments, EasyJet, Hays, Hallin Marine Subsea, JD Sports Fashion, Persimmon, Rathbone Brothers, Sainsbury's.
FRIDAY: A day after Hays results, the executive search firm Michael Page International will provide further insight into the UK and overseas job market with its fourth-quarter and full-year trading update. In its third-quarter update posted in early October, Michael Page said that trading conditions had stopped deteriorating. Steve Ingham, the chief executive, said: "We had anticipated that the seasonally quiet third quarter would be challenging, particularly in continental Europe, which was generally later
Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock Price Week's Chg Yld
into the downturn. However, as the third quarter progressed, market conditions in an increasing number of countries in which we operate began to show signs of stabilisation and, with our lower cost base, we have recorded an operating profits in the quarter." Michael Page's third-quarter operating profit came in at about �5m, continuing the improved trend this year, although down on 2008. In December, analysts at KBC Peel Hunt predicted earning before interest and tax of �6m in the fourth quarter and revised upwards its full-year EBIT forecasts to �17.1m. Results/updates: Cybit Holdings, Diamondcorp, Michael Page International, RAB Capital, Rank Group, The Restaurant Group.
u
P/E*
Get midday market updates at independent.co.uk/sharewatch
Market Cap
Stock
Price
Week's Chg
Yld
P/E*
Aerospace & Defence 28 12728 1037 2880 107 1781 1072 8964 299 939 136 932 Avon Rubber 99.5 -1.0 BAE Systems 359.5 9.5 Chemring 2937.0 103.0 Cobham 251.5 5.8 Hampson Ind 67.5 -1.5 Meggitt 260.0 4.1 QinetiQ 162.4 0.4 Rolls-Royce 483.5 3.4 Senior 75.0 3.0 Ultra Elect 1375.0 10.0 Umeco 283.5 3.5 VT 519.0 3.0x 0.0 4.0 1.2 2.0 3.6 3.2 2.9 1.2 3.5 1.9 6.2 2.8 8.0 9.7 18.4 16.3 3.6 9.8 10.2 13.2 7.1 17.2 4.7 15.3
Construction & Materials 36 1771 153 13324 253 65 120 414 383 986 95 164 258 77 Alumasc 100.5 0.0 Balfour Beat 258.5 3.2 Costain 24.3 0.3 CRH 1910.0 3.0 Galliford Try 310.0 18.5 Gleeson MJ 125.0 -1.0 Henry Boot 92.5 -3.0 Keller 645.5 5.5 Kier 1030.0 40.0 Kingspan 593.5 -8.0 Low and Bonar 33.0 0.3 Marshalls 86.0 -1.5 Morgan Sindall600.0 -37.0 ROK 43.0 -0.5 10.0 10.1 4.3 7.4 3.1 8.4 3.2 9.1 4.8 6.3 0.0 ... 5.4 8.6 3.2 5.8 5.3 10.5 1.3 7.8 5.3 4.9 6.2 8.3 7.0 4.7 5.6 5.3
Automobiles & Parts 1816 43 GKN Torotrak 117.0 27.3 1.0 0.5 2.6 0.0 7.3 ...
Electricity 1513 Drax 414.8 4705 Intl Power 309.1 10716 Scot&South 1161.0 5.0 3.1 14.0 10.4 4.2 3.9 9.5 5.7 10.8
Banks 1068 AIB 121.0 -5.0 31495 Barclays 276.0 0.0 1325 Bk of Ireland 132.0 -8.5 123383HSBC 708.8 -10.1x 32327 Lloyds 50.7 1.4 16458 RBS 29.2 -0.1 31861 Stan Chart 1575.0 1.0 Beverages 347 885 27140 28744 AG Barr 893.5 Britvic 408.0 Diageo 1084.0 SABMiller 1826.0 -8.0 19.1x -1.0 19.0 2.4 3.7 3.3 2.0 20.1 13.6 16.3 21.5 25.3 1.8 4.2 4.7 0.0 4.4 4.9 28.1 11.2 7.1 0.0 ... 2.7 14.6
Electronic & Electrical Equipment 470 68 127 914 335 426 100 255 2 396 852 113 52 50 85 Chloride 180.0 Dialight 219.0 E2V Tech 59.5 Halma 243.0 Laird 126.0 Morgan Crucible157.7 Oxford Inst 203.5 PV Crystalox Sol61.4 Raymarine 2.7 Renishaw 545.0 Spectris 738.0 TT Electronics 73.3 Volex 92.0 Xaar 80.5 XP Power 445.0 4.0 2.6 17.0 -6.5 2.7 19.6 -0.0 2.9 3.1 0.5 3.3 15.9 0.0x 9.4 4.6 4.4x 4.4 6.7 2.5 4.1 13.8 2.3 8.7 2.7 0.5 123.4 0.2 0.0 1.4 58.6 31.5 3.2 10.5 -1.0 5.0 8.0 1.5 0.0 8.4 -0.5 3.1 13.0 10.3 4.7 12.8
Chemicals 88 1089 5 237 3378 24 29 673 221 35 Carclo Croda Dyson Elementis Johnsn Mat Porvair Treatt Victrex Yule Catto Zotefoams 145.0 800.0 16.2 53.0 1531.0 60.0 279.5 810.0 152.0 92.0 -2.5 1.4 14.8 21.5 2.5 16.1 0.0 26.5 1.2 0.5 5.5 5.8 24.0x 2.4 17.1 -0.0 3.7 8.6 -0.0 4.3 11.4 11.0 2.4 30.7 -3.0 2.6 8.5 -0.5 4.9 11.1
Equity Investment Instruments 517 2189 75 409 326 655 Aberforth Sm Co534.0 15.0 Alliance Tst 328.3 3.4x Anglo & Ovrsea102.5 0.0 Bankers 365.0 3.5 British Assets 112.0 0.5x British Empire 416.6 4.8x 3.6 437.8 2.4 318.5 2.8 100.1 3.0 344.2 5.5 121.9 1.4 467.5
175 939 90 513 801 13 274 446 723 253 198 426 248 242 164 1720 589 316 279 169 222 112 97 139 267 273 212 46 297 313 112 239 19 152 38 542 314 213 52 43 5 41 ... 407 52 247
Brunner 377.7 Caledonia 1598.0 Candover 417.5 City of London 246.0 Dexion Abs 140.0 Directors Dealing241.0 Dunedin Inc 182.0 Edinburgh Drgn193.5 Edinburgh Inv 370.6 Edinburgh UK 237.5 Edinburgh US 543.5 Electra 1207.0 Electric & Gen 372.3 F&C Euro 531.0 F&C Glo Sml Co404.0 F&C Inv Tst 272.1 Fidelity Euro 1151.0 Fidelity Spec 556.0 Finsbury 616.0 Gartmore Eur 642.0 Graphite Ent 305.0 Hend Eur 532.0 Hend High Inc 114.5 Hend Sml Co 185.2 Hend TR Pac 165.5 Herald Inv Tst 337.8 HGCapital 844.0 Invesco Eng&Intl211.0 JPM American 697.0 JPM Asian 193.0 JPM Chinese 148.2 JPM Clavhse 425.0 JPM Elect Mg C100.0 JPM Elect Mg G349.0 JPM Elect Mg I 74.5 JPM Emerg Mkts490.0 JPM Eur Fledg 673.0 JPM Eur Gwth 174.7 JPM Eur Inc 91.5 JPM Inc & Cap 64.5 JPM Inc & Grw C 8.1 JPM Inc & Grw I 67.0 JPM Inc & Grw U 73.5 JPM Indian 378.0 JPM Jap Sml Co134.7 JPM Japan 153.0
1.2 -2.0x -7.2 0.6 3.0 0.5x -1.7 2.5 -0.9 1.3 -8.5 10.0 4.2 6.5x 7.0x -0.7 32.0 -2.0 18.0 19.0 16.8 1.0 2.0 4.3 4.0 17.7 -8.5 2.8 -0.5 4.0 1.0 13.0 0.0 -5.0 0.0 12.1 10.5 4.2 1.5 -0.5x 0.0 -0.0 -0.0 2.0 -2.2 0.5
3.1 361.7 2.1 1536.2 5.31029.8 5.0 205.6 0.0 208.1 5.4 504.5 5.6 160.5 0.8 179.3 5.7 328.7 4.4 208.4 1.5 495.4 0.01720.4 2.2 339.5 1.9 635.9 1.2 370.8 2.4 282.0 2.01268.8 1.6 587.5 0.8 580.3 2.2 667.9 1.5 455.0 1.7 529.3 7.2 102.5 1.6 208.3 1.5 112.5 0.5 260.0 3.0 929.4 0.6 189.3 1.6 687.4 0.8 210.1 1.0 132.0 3.9 373.9 1.7 109.1 2.0 338.7 5.8 69.9 0.7 405.0 0.0 577.6 4.0 147.5 4.4 71.9 7.8 111.6 0.0 60.5 9.3 62.3 8.4 0.0 0.0 400.1 0.0 131.8 1.8 195.4
94 180 262 68 39 335 158 104 137 880 354 767 348 726 159 441 323 1607 127 169 239 557 1451 94 50 394 445 1729 88 227 71 904 112
JPM Mid Cap 372.0 3.5 4.6 371.9 JPM Overseas 702.5 3.5 1.6 565.3 JPM Russian 470.5 4.3 0.0 255.8 JPM Smlr Co 351.0 0.5 2.3 372.3 JPM US Disc 710.0 26.0 0.0 622.3 Law Debenture284.5 3.5 4.3 222.9 Lowland Inv Co601.5 -0.5 4.4 657.3 Majedie Inv 198.5 -0.7 5.3 236.4 Martin Currie 117.3 2.5 3.0 106.6 Mercantile Inv Trust 863.04.0x4.2 683 Merchants Trust343.5 3.3 6.5 305.0 Monks Inv 293.0 2.9 2.0 259.9 Murray Inc 525.0 -4.0 5.3 443.5 Murray Intl 765.5 -5.0 3.0 599.4 Panthn Intl Part425.0 -0.3 0.01368.9 Perpetual I&G 210.0 -3.6 4.0 180.6 Polar Cap Tech 256.0 8.0 0.0 216.7 RIT Capital Part1045.0 39.0 0.7 877.7 Schroder Inc G 185.0 1.3x 4.8 179.8 Schroder UK G 108.0 1.2x 3.6 90.2 Scottish Amer 181.0 0.5x 4.9 151.5 Scottish Inv 448.5 5.0 2.1 473.0 Scottish Mort 539.0 9.0 2.3 401.1 Securits Tst Scot93.0 -0.0 5.9 75.4 Shires 170.7 1.7 11.6 118.8 SVG Capital 127.0 1.5 0.0 139.9 Temple Bar 756.0 2.5 4.3 608.9 Templeton Emg524.0 15.5 0.7 366.2 Throgmorton 119.5 3.0 2.0 103.9 TR Eur Gwth 397.0 7.0 0.8 375.6 Value and Inc 157.5 -2.2x 4.8 165.5 Witan Inv 444.6 5.0 2.3 432.0 Witan Pacific 169.0 2.0 1.1 152.4
5991 Sainsbury 34014 Tesco 74 Thorntons Food Producers 6507 10951 366 483 216 285 586 343 856 367 1987 25592 28
323.5 428.0 109.0
2.4x 1.1 1.0
4.1 14.6 2.8 14.7 5.6 16.8
A.B. Foods 822.0 3.0x Cadbury 797.5 1.5 Cranswick 785.0 20.5x Dairy Crest 362.6 4.4 Devro 133.0 -3.0 Greencore 138.8 -0.5x New Brit Palm Oil404.5 -0.0 Northern Foods66.8 -1.8 Premier Foods 35.7 0.3 Robert Wiseman513.0 -7.0x Tate & Lyle 432.7 4.0x Unilever 1994.0 1.0 Uniq 25.0 0.2
2.6 2.1 2.8 5.5 3.3 5.4 4.3 6.7 5.3 2.9 5.3 3.9 0.0
14.2 32.0 14.6 8.1 16.2 8.0 44.6 8.6 2.7 16.1 11.3 12.6 ...
Forestry & Paper 1230 Mondi 335.0 8.0 3.4 11.1
Gas, Water & Multiutilities 14422 33 16708 1401 1892 2569 3378 Centrica 281.1 6.5 Dee Valley 812.5 0.0x National Grid679.0 16.0x Northumbrian Wtr270.3 2.3x Pennon 537.5 2.5 Severn Trent1086.0 -8.0x United Util 495.7 0.5x 4.3 6.5 5.2 4.7 3.9 6.2 6.6 13.1 40.4 13.3 12.3 14.1 11.7 18.7
1398 160 1024 2815 1368 535 1068 1994 142 202 34 1945 5280 391 321 140 1245 73 346 264 52 2882 659 600
Hargreaves Lans294.9 Helphire 48.5 Henderson 124.3 ICAP 430.0 IG 379.8 Intl Personal Fin208.0 Intm Capital 274.0 Investec 425.1 IP 57.0 IRF Eur Fin $ 162.5 Liontst Asst Man102.0 LSE 718.0 Man Group 308.5 Paragon 131.0 Phaunos Tmbr $64.5 Prodesse 452.5 Provident Fin 928.0 Queens Walk 275.0 Rathbone Bros800.0 Rensburg Shep602.5 S&U 450.0 Schroders 1330.0 Schroders NV1070.0 Tullett Prebon 278.9
9.9 2.5 26.8 2.2 0.0 ... -1.2 4.9 11.5 6.4 4.0 12.6 -3.9 3.9 15.3 0.7 2.7 10.5 6.4 15.0 ... -6.6 3.1 10.0 0.0 0.0 ... 0.0 0.0 ... 1.0 7.4 3.6 8.0x 3.4 9.7 3.5 8.8 8.7 -4.9 2.5 9.4 0.0 0.0 61.2 -10.0 11.9 387.1 -12.0 6.8 13.1 0.0x 14.2 351.7 6.0 5.2 11.3 -5.0 4.2 10.1 0.0 7.1 9.0 14.0 2.3 17.6 2.0 2.9 14.2 -8.1 4.6 5.9
General Industrials 72 72 1166 34 498 2548 237 3952 1704 Accsys 46.3 British Polythene272.7 Cookson 422.2 Cosalt 8.6 DS Smith 126.6 Rexam 290.6 RPC 239.5 Smiths 1014.0 Tomkins 193.2 -2.8 -11.0 11.7 -0.2 5.9 2.6 -5.5x 33.5 -3.8 0.0 5.3 2.1 18.7 3.5 6.4 3.9 3.4 4.2 15.3 10.7 4.7 ... 10.0 9.2 13.3 14.0 12.0
General Financial 2745 1354 1928 592 314 206 111 84 996 171 312 369 583 3i 283.0 Aberdeen Ast 134.0 Ashmore 272.0 BlueBay 305.0 Brewin Dolphin138.0 Camellia 7420.0 Charles Stanley250.0 Charles Taylor 210.0 Close Bros 690.0 Collins Stewart 69.2 Evolution 134.7 F&C Asst Man 75.9 Guinness Peat 36.0 4.2x -0.5x 4.0 -5.0 -4.8 5.0 5.0 2.0 -3.5 -1.0 -5.0 1.7 -0.5 2.2 4.5 4.4 2.1 5.1 1.2 3.5 6.6 5.7 3.8 1.5 7.9 2.5 191.9 20.6 15.9 27.4 12.8 18.7 17.1 7.3 11.4 14.7 ... 9.8 ...
Fixed Line Telecommunications 10465 3639 1181 227 203 BT Cable&Wire COLT Telecom KCOM Telecom Plus 135.0 141.4 132.5 44.0 297.7 -2.2x 1.4x -0.7 -1.0x -2.0x 4.8 6.0 0.0 3.4 5.9 42.2 10.9 18.5 ... 12.3
General Retailers 17 25 21 684 13 633 1716 103 Alexon 38.0 Ashley (Laura) 13.5 Blacks Leisure 49.8 Brown (N) 248.0 Caffyns 475.0 Carpetright 942.0 Carphone Wrhse187.8 Clinton Cards 50.0 0.0 -0.2 0.2 2.0x 0.0x -8.0 2.1x -1.5 2.6 8.9 9.3 13.9 0.0 ... 3.7 11.3 0.8 ... 0.8 51.8 2.3 14.7 0.0 6.5
Food & Drug Retailers 686 Booker 452 Greggs 7350 Morrison 46.0 435.0 277.4 -1.0 5.5 0.4 1.9 17.5 4.1 12.0 2.1 16.0
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
SHARES AND MARKETS BUSINESS 41
Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock Price Week's Chg Yld P/E* Market Cap Stock Price Week's Chg Yld P/E*
Market Cap
Stock
Price
Week's Chg
Yld
P/E*
Market Cap
Stock
1002 386 1317 760 170 30 469 367 840 393 2478 13 1374 328 ... 164 790 5406 187 6350 22 600 4105 150 625 211 157 756
Debenhams 77.9 -2.0 Dignity 607.0 -11.5 DSG Intl 36.5 -0.2 Dunelm 380.0 -18.0 Findel 34.8 1.2 French Connect 32.0 1.2 Galiform 74.0 -2.0 Game 106.0 2.0 Halfords 399.3 -2.7x HMV 92.8 -5.2x Home Retail 282.5 -1.5x HR Owen 58.0 5.0 Inchcape 29.8 0.0 JD Sports 505.0 -4.5x Jessops 0.7 -0.0 JJB Sports 25.2 -0.2 Kesa Electricals149.2 0.7 Kingfisher 229.0 3.8 Lookers 49.0 3.0 Marks & Spen402.0 1.5x Moss Bros 24.0 0.0 Mothercare 682.0 10.0 Next 2083.0 18.0x Pendragon 23.0 0.0 Sports Direct 97.7 1.2 Ted Baker 509.0 9.0 Topps Tiles 83.5 0.5 WH Smith 494.0 -14.0
0.0 1.9 0.0 1.6 4.0 5.3 0.0 5.2 4.0 8.0 5.2 6.9 3.1 2.4 0.0 0.0 3.4 2.3 2.7 4.4 0.0 2.1 2.6 2.2 1.2 3.3 0.0 3.4
7.8 14.9 38.4 20.2 1.8 ... 8.7 4.3 12.3 8.4 10.9 9.2 5.9 7.0 ... ... 26.2 20.8 11.1 14.4 ... 21.2 13.4 ... 12.3 17.2 12.6 11.6
66 146 1518 495 54 147 454 1917 317 2035 142 124 375 7223 60 6379 587 73 388 1133 93 99 7642 926
Centaur 47.0 Chime Comm 217.2 Daily Mail 418.2 Euromoney 435.7 Future 16.8 Huntsworth 64.0 Indpndnt News 13.0 Informa 320.0 ITE 128.0 ITV 52.4 Johnston Press 22.2 Mecom 113.5 Moneysupermakt74.0 Pearson 891.0 Pinewood-Shep131.0 Reed Elsevier 511.5 Rightmove 504.5 Tarsus 107.0 Trinity Mirror 150.6 Utd Bus Media464.4 UTV Media 98.0 Wilmington 120.0 WPP 609.5 Yell 39.3
-2.3x 3.2 22.4 0.5 2.2 10.9 2.1x 3.5 11.2 -2.6x 3.2 10.5 0.2 5.4 9.3 0.3 4.2 7.5 0.5 22.1 1.6 5.3 3.1 7.9 0.2 4.3 9.0 -1.5 1.3 19.4 -1.0 0.0 1.7 1.3 0.0 77.3 -0.7 4.7 ... 13.0 3.8 18.6 -1.5 2.6 10.7 4.5 4.0 11.5 14.5 2.0 21.2 -0.0 5.6 8.2 6.8 2.1 4.5 8.0 5.1 8.1 -0.5 5.4 4.9 -0.0 5.8 11.4 6.0 2.5 10.7 0.1 0.0 1.0
Mining 35690 243 9779 1882 44012 11782 5679 313 1155 7107 3782 1478 1868 4499 51661 222 7121 32946 Anglo Amer 2711.0 16.0 Anglo Pacific 226.3 0.3x Antofagasta 992.0 56.5 Aquarius Plat 407.0 12.0 BHP Billiton 1995.0 25.0 Eurasian Ntl 915.0 10.0 Fresnillo 792.0 -1.5 Gem Diamd 227.0 5.2 Hochschild 341.8 9.2 Kazakhmys 1328.0 40.0 Lonmin 1959.0 79.0 New World Res560.0 20.0 Petropavlovsk1026.0 -19.0 Randgold 5000.0 -170.0 Rio Tinto 3390.0 20.0 UK Coal 74.5 10.5 Vedanta 2611.0 71.0x Xstrata 1121.0 33.0 1.0 10.1 3.5 8.2 0.6 9.3 0.0 ... 2.5 16.8 2.1 7.2 1.1 69.0 0.0 ... 0.7 69.3 0.6 9.5 0.0 ... 7.3 4.9 0.5 61.4 0.2 150.2 2.0 5.1 0.0 ... 1.0 35.4 0.6 3.7
120 239 464 1332 281 174 612 532 897 2977 366 129 5178 3202 34 72 121 161 312 63 421 2530 893 388 76 385 478 15 267
Capital&Regional34.2 0.0 7.2 ... CLS 498.8 23.8 0.0 ... Daejan 2849.0 154.0 2.6 ... Derwent London1320.0 70.0 1.9 57.8 Developmt Sec341.8 47.0 1.4 ... DTZ 65.8 -1.3 9.1 ... F&C Com Prop 90.0 2.3 6.7 85.8 Grainger 128.0 5.0x 1.7 ... Great Portland 287.1 2.1x 4.2 23.5 Hammerson 424.0 25.1 6.6 11.1 Helical Bar 342.0 6.2 1.3 26.7 Invista Fnd Prop40.0 0.5 10.8 43.8 Land Secs 685.0 40.0x 8.2 10.9 Liberty Intl 515.0 28.5 3.2 17.8 London & Ass 43.2 0.2x 2.6 ... Mckay Secs. 159.0 -6.0x 8.9 7.8 Minerva 75.2 -1.2 0.0 ... Mountview Est4150.0 0.0 3.7 17.2 Quintain Est 60.0 -0.0 0.0 ... Real Est Opp 19.0 0.0 0.0 ... Savills 320.0 17.0 2.8 17.7 SEGRO 344.6 11.6 0.1 68.0 Shaftesbury 393.6 18.6 3.1 34.8 St Modwen Prop194.0 14.0 2.0 ... Town Centre 143.0 3.0x 5.7 9.7 TR Property 150.1 -0.8x 3.8 126.1 Unite 299.5 24.9 0.3 ... Warner Estate 27.0 -0.5 0.0 ... Workspace 23.2 1.5 8.7 6.5
Health Care Equipment & Services 90 67 257 26 46 5667 261 353 Biocompatibles230.0 Bioquell 165.0 Care UK 420.0 Corin 63.0 Nestor Healthcare41.0 Smith & Neph639.5 Southern Cross139.0 Synergy Health650.0 9.0 12.0 0.0 -1.0 0.5 10.5 2.3 -9.5x 2.2 ... 1.3 18.3 1.2 13.4 2.2 7.7 3.7 7.2 1.3 18.7 0.0 7.9 1.7 17.5
Software & Computer Services 62 Alphameric 27.8 -0.5 110 Alterian 188.5 -3.5 95 Anite 32.0 -1.0
0.0 34.7 0.0 16.0 3.0 7.3
5 1599 972 200 361 704 6310 388 3675 25 1438 89 1104 242 1991 28 179 114 23 58 207 1223 811 299 291 20 297 629 868 2097 133 163 467 2600
Dawson 7.4 DCC 1945.0 De La Rue 988.0 Diploma 176.8 Eaga 143.6 Electrocomp 161.7 Experian 615.0 Filtrona 189.0 G4S 260.6 Harvey Nash 34.5 Hays 104.1 Hogg Robinson 29.0 Homeserve 1689.0 Interserve 193.3 Intertek 1255.0 Jarvis 13.5 John Menzies 297.7 Lavendon 70.0 Macfarlane 20.5 Managemt Cons 17.7 Mears 279.0 Michael Page Intl378.9 Mitie 229.8 Mouchel 266.8 Northgate 220.0 OPD 77.5 PayPoint 439.0 Premier Farnell172.2 Regus 91.5 Rentokil Initial 115.6 Ricardo 259.5 Robert Walters 212.8 RPS 217.0 Serco 530.0
-0.6 0.0 3.7 -41.0 3.2 11.5 5.0x 4.2 17.3 10.8x 4.4 11.9 1.2 2.4 10.7 -3.3x 6.8 11.9 1.0x 2.0 16.0 4.5 4.1 10.2 -4.2 2.5 15.6 2.5 5.8 3.8 0.6 5.6 13.5 -1.0x 4.1 6.2 -5.0x 2.1 15.9 1.6 8.8 4.1 10.0 1.7 18.5 -0.2 0.0 16.1 -3.2 2.5 9.5 0.5 5.1 1.8 0.2 9.8 8.0 0.2 7.3 2.9 6.7 1.7 14.2 -1.1 2.1 12.5 4.8x 3.0 13.4 6.8 2.3 10.1 -2.4 11.4 4.6 0.0 3.9 3.7 -6.0 4.0 12.3 -3.5 5.5 12.4 2.3 2.0 6.9 4.6 0.6 152.1 7.0 4.1 9.0 12.8 2.2 12.4 2.0 1.7 11.5 6.5 0.9 24.1
Household Goods 83 1196 988 1105 580 9 249 381 1410 24160 410 1243 Aga Range 120.0 Barratt Dev 124.0 Bellway 818.0 Berkeley 820.0 Bovis Homes 434.7 Havelock Eur 25.0 Headlam 300.3 Mcbride 211.6 Persimmon 469.5 Reckitt Ben 3356.0 Redrow 133.0 Taylor Wimpey 38.9 0.5 7.1 64.0x -15.5 43.2 0.0 5.2x 2.8 22.0 67.0 1.1 1.8 3.4 0.0 1.1 0.0 1.2 18.4 6.6 2.8 1.1 2.4 0.0 0.0 8.2 ... 46.2 11.5 ... 1.6 8.7 16.4 13.3 20.9 ... ...
READER OFFER
Mobile Telecommunications 3180 Inmarsat 75597 Vodafone Nonlife Insurance 3168 230 1775 533 618 1219 252 143 1187 1036 218 280 4115 Admiral 1189.0 Alea $ 132.5 Amlin 358.7 Beazley 99.9 Brit Insurance 197.1 Catlin 340.0 Chaucer 46.0 Hardy Under 280.0 Hiscox 317.0 Jardine Llyd Thm483.6 Novae 299.0 Omega Insurance115.3 RSA Ins 120.6 34.0 -0.0 1.4 2.8 7.6 6.8 1.0 3.0 4.0 15.6 -1.5 -1.2 1.5 2.1 0.0 4.7 6.6 7.6 7.9 12.0 4.2 4.0 4.2 3.3 5.5 6.4 21.7 66.2 21.0 5.3 9.2 ... ... 5.2 16.9 15.9 5.8 12.4 7.0 692.0 143.7 2.0 1.5x 2.7 37.4 5.4 8.4
DIRTY DANCING THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE
TOP PRICE TICKETS �35 (USUALLY UP TO �62.50)
Seen by millions across the globe this worldwide smash-hit tells the classic story of Baby and Johnny, two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds, who come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives. Featuring hit songs, including "Hungry Eyes", "Hey Baby", "Do You Love Me?" and the heart stopping "I've Had The Time Of My Life". Aldwych Theatre, Aldwych, London WC2
Industrial Engineering 9 298 80 1205 215 360 292 730 261 1660 895 11 43 1026 157 947 12 20 166 1508 600 Group 17.0 0.0 Bodycote 159.1 -1.6x Castings 184.0 -0.5x Charter Intl 722.0 16.5 Delta 140.0 8.0 Domino Print 329.3 -3.7 Fenner 167.5 -10.5 Hansen Tran Intl109.0 7.5 Hill and Smith 344.0 4.0x IMI 518.5 -0.5 Melrose 180.0 3.0 Molins 57.5 3.0 Renold 20.0 0.0 Rotork 1186.0 -1.0 Severfield-Rowen177.3 -2.0 Spirax-Sarco 1240.0 -69.0 Stanelco 0.4 0.0 Trifast 24.3 -0.8 Vitec 389.0 0.2 Weir 717.5 19.0 0.0 5.2 5.4 2.9 4.6 4.0 3.9 0.0 2.9 4.0 3.9 8.7 0.0 2.2 11.3 0.0 0.0 3.8 4.7 2.6 ... 9.1 128.7 7.3 8.2 13.9 13.1 18.3 10.7 9.6 10.7 3.6 3.2 18.8 4.2 14.9 78.0 21.1 7.0 12.1
Oil & Gas Producers 37836 BG 1122.0 112554 BP 600.0 4643 Cairn Engy 332.6 1076 Dana Pet 1176.0 2000 Dragon Oil 388.5 154 Fortune Oil 7.8 443 JKX Oil & Gas 282.5 1267 Premier Oil 1105.0 453 Salamander Eng296.8 48834 Shell B 1811.5 1009 Soco Intl 1340.0 10490 Tullow Oil 1305.0 Oil Equipment & Services 2628 770 1629 369 3603 529 Amec 792.0 Hunting 582.5 John Wood 308.8 Lamprell 184.7 Petrofac Ltd1043.0 Wellstream 531.0 1.0x 13.5 -2.1 2.9 31.0 7.0 1.9 1.7 1.8 3.2 1.5 1.9 17.8 21.2 9.3 6.3 21.7 10.0 -13.0 -8.5 4.6 -14.0 1.0 -0.1 -4.3 -13.0 -1.1 -18.5 10.0 7.0 1.0 5.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 0.0 0.0 5.4 0.0 0.5 12.2 8.6 20.1 10.6 8.8 15.9 9.2 14.8 ... 6.9 50.8 42.3
Call: 0844 847 2330 quoting Independent Offer
Valid for Mon-Thurs evening & Fri matinee performances between 4 Jan � 26 Feb (exc 15-19 Feb)
Market Cap Week's Chg Market Cap Week's Chg Stock Price Yld P/E* Stock Price Yld P/E*
Industrial Metals 1168 168 947 Ferrexpo 198.5 8.5 Intl Ferro Metals30.5 3.0 Talvivaara Mining386.3 10.4 1.9 5.9 0.0 ... 0.0 145.1
Industrial Transportation 694 89 140 222 515 305 247 174 245 BBA 164.0 Braemar Ship 427.5 Clarkson 740.0 Fisher (James)445.0 Forth Ports 1130.0 Ocean Wilsons 865.0 Stobart Inc 98.5 UK Mail Group 319.0 Wincanton 202.5 3.5 16.5 -55.0 -9.3 30.0 0.0 -0.0x 11.5x 3.5x 4.6 10.2 5.6 7.5 5.7 6.0 2.9 11.7 2.5 19.3 2.1 ... 6.1 1.7 5.4 14.1 7.4 8.2
Personal Goods 2598 Burberry 599.0 1157 PZ Cussons 270.0 1667 SSL Internatl 785.0 13.0 12.6 23.5 2.0 19.6 2.0 21.8 1.1 28.0
Leisure Goods 77 24 136 Games Wrkshp250.0 NXT 16.2 Photo-Me 38.0 -5.0 1.2 -2.2 0.0 14.4 0.0 ... 0.0 200.0
Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology 206 Antisoma 33.0 30 Ark Therap 14.5 42202 AstraZen 2910.5 193 Axis-Shield 389.0 448 BTG 174.3 323 Dechra Pharm 492.0 402 Genus 674.0 68474 GSK 1319.5 976 Hikma Pharm 510.0 60 Oxford Bio 11.2 37 Phytopharm 10.8 174 ProStrakan 86.5 6789 Shire 1210.0 21 Skyepharma 88.0 15 Source BioScnce 7.4 244 Vectura 75.5 52 Vernalis 87.0 Real Estate 188 A&J Mucklow 315.0 462 Big Yellow 354.0 4145 British Land 480.0 7.2x 12.7 32.0 5.6 16.5 0.0 29.5 7.2 11.7 -1.0 -1.0 1.0 5.2 0.3 16.9 -19.5x -11.5x -2.0 -0.5 -0.5 0.5 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 -3.0 0.0 0.0 4.3 0.0 0.0 1.8 1.6 4.3 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 ... ... 9.3 59.7 102.5 19.2 18.7 12.6 21.7 ... ... ... 61.1 ... ... ... ...
Life Insurance 11008 198 216 840 4724 5763 16204 2156 315 1185 4841 Aviva 397.9 Chesnara 196.0 Hansard Global157.5 Irish Life & Per 312.0 Legal & Gen 80.6 Old Mutual 109.2 Prudential 640.0 Resolution 89.4 Sagicor Financial108.5 St James's Place246.0 Standrd Life 216.5 9.8 -2.2 -7.5 8.3 3.1 1.0 9.0 -0.1 -0.0 1.0 5.5 8.3 7.9 8.0 7.2 5.0 2.2 3.0 0.0 2.8 1.8 5.4 6.3 10.2 10.7 17.0 ... 9.0 15.1 ... 5.1 17.3 47.1
3626 683 383 1271 43 420 101 319 2414 93 154 1819 932 76 1182 52 4 199 147 2889 315 758
Autonomy 1511.0 Aveva 1007.0 Computacntr 250.3 Didata 74.8 Emblaze 39.3 Fidessa 1175.0 Innovation 11.0 Intec Telecom 103.5 Invensys 299.3 Kewill 104.5 Kofax 180.0 Logica 113.7 Micro Focus Intl455.7 Microgen 88.5 Misys 216.0 Morse 40.5 Parity 13.0 Phoenix IT 265.0 RM 158.0 Sage 220.0 SDL Intl 410.8 Telecity 383.0
-9.0 26.5 -3.7 1.0 -0.0 -12.0 0.2 -1.0 4.7 -4.5x -3.5 -1.1 -2.8x 0.0 2.0 -2.3 0.0 4.5 -6.3 -4.0 -4.3 -2.0
0.0 0.9 3.3 1.6 0.0 2.1 0.0 1.0 0.5 1.0 0.0 2.6 2.1 2.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.4 3.9 3.4 0.0 0.0
40.2 15.0 11.7 16.0 ... 22.3 10.6 13.2 21.2 11.2 14.9 9.2 17.8 18.5 22.0 20.2 3.4 9.8 10.3 13.2 16.4 49.1
529 662 140 213 57 358 1777 80 14 3 3539 175 488
Shanks 133.5 SIG 112.1 Speedy Hire 27.3 Spice 60.5 St Ives 55.5 SThree 294.7 Travis Perkins 852.0 VP 179.0 Waterman 47.0 White Yng Grn 6.5 Wolseley 1247.0 WSP 275.5 Xchanging 206.2
3.2x 1.6 9.2 2.3 6.1 1.9 -0.0 12.7 2.1 -1.5 2.5 8.0 -0.0 4.1 11.2 20.6 4.1 9.9 50.0 1.3 8.8 -1.0x 6.0 4.7 0.0x 4.7 4.8 0.4 146.6 0.2 2.0 0.0 13.0 13.5 5.4 4.8 -3.7 1.2 13.5
Technology Hardware & Equipment 2278 206 3 744 26 578 633 136 691 40 33 152 ARM 177.5 BATM Adv 51.5 CML Micro 26.0 CSR 409.1 Filtronic 36.3 Imagination Tech241.0 Pace 209.0 Psion 97.0 Spirent Comm 102.0 Trafficmaster 29.8 Vislink 24.0 Wolfson Micro 132.5 2.3 -1.0 0.0 8.1 2.5 8.5 4.1 5.5 4.8 -1.0 4.0 3.7 1.2 2.0 0.0 0.0 2.8 0.0 0.3 3.8 1.1 0.0 5.2 0.0 52.2 13.5 ... 15.1 8.4 65.1 26.8 37.6 16.3 6.8 5.5 15.9
Support Services 38 61 2542 408 638 1368 127 298 2215 4689 1205 18 494 680 Acal AEA Tech Aggreko Ashtead Atkins WS Babcock Intl Brammer BSS Bunzl Capita Carillion Communisis Connaught Davis Service 136.0 27.0 930.0 81.2 611.0 596.0 120.0 240.0 675.0 751.0 303.8 13.0 356.0 399.6 -0.0x 5.2 -0.0 0.0 20.0 1.1 4.4 3.2 -2.0x 4.3 6.0x 2.4 -1.5 4.6 -0.5x 3.1 12.5x 3.1 10.0 1.9 -3.3 4.3 -0.8 19.2 0.0 0.9 4.5 5.0 ... 5.4 20.3 7.1 7.3 14.2 6.6 7.2 12.8 22.6 8.9 2.0 14.4 10.2
Tobacco 40257 BAT 2016.5 -16.0 19922 Imperial T 1960.0 11.0 Travel & Leisure 384 93 989 241 2156 888 Holdings Arena Leisure Arriva Avis Europe British Airw 111.0 25.7 497.1 26.2 186.9 -0.4 1.2 7.8 0.8 -5.1 3.0 16.5 1.0 15.7 4.8 8.1 0.0 12.3 0.0 ... 4.2 15.7 3.7 12.1
Media 32 1385 93 9850 4imprint 125.0 Aegis 119.4 Bloomsbury 126.5 BSkyB 562.0 0.0 3.4 -3.0 0.5 9.9 5.2 2.1 11.6 3.3 11.9 3.1 21.7
Carnival 2135.0 5.0 0.0 15.3 339 Sterling Energy155.0 -7.0 0.0 ... Cineworld 150.0 2.3 6.3 9.9 11 Straight 100.5 0.5 3.0 ... Compass 445.2 -8.8 3.0 14.8 1 Strathdon Inv 2.2 0.0 0.0 ... Domino 298.0 1.9 2.0 27.4 20 Tanfield 27.0 -1.5 0.0 ... easyJet 353.0 -5.0 0.0 20.9 92 Tottenham 75.0 0.0 0.0 ... Enterprise Inns 93.4 -2.3 0.0 3.0 239 Trading Emission93.0 -0.0 4.8 ... FirstGroup 426.0 11.1 4.4 8.8 Transense Tech 9.0 -0.5 0.0 ... Fuller Smth&Turn505.0 -5.0x 2.0 17.3 6 9 UBC Media 5.0 0.0 0.0 ... Go-Ahead 1334.0 -8.0 6.1 8.8 Ultrasis 0.8 -0.0 0.0 ... Greene King 408.0 0.4x 5.5 6.1 11 0.0 3.8 108.8 Holidaybreak 224.3 -5.5 5.6 6.1 269 Utilico Em Mkt 127.0 79.6 -0.1 0.0 100.5 InterContl Htl893.0 -7.0 3.0 12.3 398 Vinaland $ Ladbrokes 137.5 2.5 8.8 4.6 42 xG Tech $ 31.0 -1.5 0.0 ... Luminar 38.2 -0.5 12.9 1.6 5 XXI Century Inv 15.0 -7.5 0.0 ... Marston's 88.0 0.0x 9.6 6.6 141 Young & Co 487.5 0.0 2.6 ... Millennium&Copth370.7 0.7 1.7 12.7 GILTS Mitchells&Butler248.1 -6.8 0.0 10.5 National Express191.9 1.9 0.0 3.8 Wk Price Chg Yld PartyGaming 260.0 5.6 0.0 10.4 Stock Punch Taverns 68.0 0.5 0.0 1.9 Rank 83.1 -0.9 0.0 12.8 INDEX-LINKED Restaurant 187.0 -0.5 4.1 11.2 Tsy 2.50 11 303.44 -0.02 -1.16 Ryanair 331.0 -7.5 0.0 46.6 Tsy 2.50 13 260.85 0.16 0.05 Stagecoach 169.5 0.9 3.5 7.4 Tsy 2.50 16 290.77 -0.56 0.74 Thomas Cook230.1 -1.6 4.7 8.7 104.04 -0.12 0.77 TUI Travel 255.0 6.6 4.2 10.7 Tsy 1.25 17 295.25 0.55 1.06 Wetherspoon JD425.0 -5.0 0.0 13.0 Tsy 2.50 20 111.11 0.45 1.04 Whitbread 1411.0 27.0x 2.6 15.2 Tsy 1.87 22 William Hill 185.7 -2.9 2.9 5.8 Tsy 2.50 24 260.35 -0.15 1.10 Tsy 1.25 27 105.50 0.21 0.99 AIM Tsy 4.12 30 249.54 -2.29 0.96 104 Abbey 426.0 -0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 1.25 32 108.86 -0.82 0.82 32 Agriterra 6.0 0.1 0.0 ... Tsy 2.00 35 157.61 -1.08 0.75 26 Alba 51.0 1.0 0.0 ... Tsy 1.12 37 113.29 1.35 0.68 146 Albemarle & Bd263.5 -14.0 3.3 ... Tsy 0.63 42 102.21 0.24 0.59 16 Alkane Energy 18.0 -0.0 0.0 ... 108.14 -0.62 0.51 28 Andes Energia 24.0 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 0.75 47 101.42 0.74 0.51 42 Andrews Sks 97.0 7.0 37.3 ... Tsy 0.50 50 134.06 1.48 0.48 423 ARC Capital $ 98.5 3.8 0.0 ... Tsy 1.25 55 21 Archial 9.0 0.0 0.0 ... UNDATED** 356 ASOS 487.5 4.5 0.0 ... Ann 2.50 49.68 -0.42 5.03 14 Autologic 23.5 0.0 0.0 ... Con 2.50 51.74 -0.45 4.83 100 BB 96.5 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 2.50 50.50 -2.57 4.75 20 Bond Intl Soft 63.0 1.0 2.5 ... Ann 2.75 54.22 -0.45 5.07 10 Capital Mant 4.0 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 3.00 60.58 -0.51 4.95 200 CareTech 437.5 -5.0 1.1 ... 71.98 -0.62 4.86 19 Catalyst Media 70.5 1.0 0.0 ... Con 3.50 74.28 -0.02 4.75 24 Character 72.0 2.0 1.4 ... War 3.50 79.75 1.18 5.13 30 Churchill China275.0 0.0 5.1 ... Con 4.00 302 Climate Exch 636.0 -70.0 0.0 ... SHORTS 224 Clipper Windpwr172.5 -1.5 0.0 ... Tsy 4.75 10 101.60 -0.28 0.43 69 Dart 49.5 2.5 1.4 ... Tsy 6.25 10 105.07 0.01 0.61 192 Datacast 209.0 1.5 0.9 ... Tsy 4.25 11 103.85 -0.21 0.84 3 Deal Gp Media 0.5 -0.0 0.0 ... Con 9.00 11 111.95 -0.20 1.05 266 Desire Pet 92.0 6.0 0.0 ... 103.66 -0.04 1.35 357 Dolphin Capital 57.0 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 3.25 11 111.50 -0.92 1.68 10 Eckoh 5.1 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 7.75 12-15 108.13 -0.08 1.85 42 Encore Oil 14.7 0.2 0.0 ... Tsy 5.25 12 3 Environm Recycl 1.1 -0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 9.00 12 117.88 -0.18 1.92 187 Falkland Oil&Gas128.0 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 4.50 13 106.85 -0.15 2.27 255 FREEDOM4 98.3 2.3 0.0 ... Tsy 8.00 13 120.21 -0.17 2.34 137 Fyffes 39.8 0.8 3.3 ... Tsy 2.25 14 98.60 0.16 2.70 60 Genetix 83.0 0.0 0.7 ... Tsy 5.00 14 109.64 -0.04 2.84 804 Green DrgnGas $667.5 5.0 0.0 ... Tsy 4.75 15 108.54 -0.02 3.16 15 GTL Resources 49.0 -2.5 0.0 ... 125.57 -0.44 3.22 276 Gulfsands Pet 230.0 2.7 0.0 ... Tsy 8.00 15 MEDIUMS 112 GW Pharm 87.0 -1.5 0.0 ... 294 Highland Gold 90.5 0.8 0.0 ... Ex 12.00 13-17 135.57 -0.30 2.48 44 Indigo Vision 602.5 -2.5 0.8 ... Tsy 4.00 16 103.25 -0.20 3.49 54 Interior Services165.0 3.5 8.3 ... Tsy 8.75 17 134.05 0.01 3.69 75 IQE 17.0 0.2 0.0 ... Tsy 5.00 18 108.59 -0.14 3.82 299 James Halstd 580.0 -7.5 4.2 ... Tsy 4.50 19 103.31 -0.55 4.07 57 Johnson Ser 23.0 -0.2 0.0 ... Tsy 4.75 20 105.45 0.03 4.17 22 KBC Adv Tech 39.0 0.0 3.5 ... 134.96 -0.21 4.18 715 KSK Power Ven512.5 -5.0 0.0 ... Tsy 8.00 21 97.20 0.04 4.37 123 Leaf Clean Enrgy67.5 -0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 4.00 22 60 Liberty 262.5 0.0 0.0 ... LONGS 23 Lok'n Store 88.5 2.5 1.1 ... Tsy 5.00 25 106.26 0.13 4.49 597 London & Stam119.5 -0.0 3.2 ... Tsy 4.25 27 97.58 0.06 4.50 123 Lonrho 11.8 1.5 0.0 ... Tsy 6.00 28 120.30 0.07 4.46 49 M&C Saatchi 81.0 0.0 4.5 ... Tsy 4.75 30 103.06 -0.58 4.52 161 M. P. Evans 309.5 0.5 3.3 ... Tsy 4.25 32 97.38 0.22 4.49 133 Majestic Wine 217.0 -2.0 4.5 ... 96.90 0.31 4.51 70 Max Petroleum 17.0 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 4.25 36 105.15 -0.07 4.47 5 Metalrax 4.4 0.0 0.0 ... Tsy 4.75 38 96.31 -0.59 4.48 165 MirLand Dev 160.0 0.3 0.0 ... Tsy 4.25 39 62 NEOVIA 52.2 -0.2 0.0 ... Tsy 4.50 42 101.00 -0.63 4.44 110 Nichols 301.0 -3.0 3.7 ... Tsy 4.25 46 98.50 0.37 4.39 180 Numis Corp 162.0 0.5 4.9 ... Tsy 4.25 49 98.77 0.31 4.37 30 Osmetech 1.9 -0.1 0.0 ... Tsy 4.25 55 98.08 -0.70 4.35 156 Pacific All Asia $100.5 0.0 0.0 ... source: www.digitallook.com 214 Petra Diamonds60.8 -0.8 0.0 ... 360 Phibro Animal $522.5 0.0 0.0 ... Prices are in sterling except where stated and 16 Pilat Media Glo 27.3 -0.3 0.0 ... reflect the closing mid price. The yield is latest 12 997 Playtech 415.3 1.7 3.2 ... months' declared net dividend as a percentage of 32 Portmeirion 330.0 0.0 4.5 ... the price, except for Irish and overseas shares, 33 Proteome Sci 25.5 -0.5 0.0 ... which are calculated using a gross dividend. The 373 PureCircle $ 243.5 8.5 0.0 ... price-earnings ratio is the current share price 86 RAB Capital 18.2 0.8 13.2 ... divided by the past 12 months' earnings per share, which excludes extraordinary items but includes ex4 Ransom W & S 5.0 0.0 0.0 ... ceptionals. * On investment trusts, net asset values 4 Redstone 3.1 0.0 0.0 ... (NAV) replace the P/E ratio. 252 Regal Petroleum80.0 -0.3 0.0 ... **Yields are running yields. 257 ReneSola 149.0 -5.8 0.0 ... Other details: x Ex-dividend. Prices on $ and 22 Renew Holdings37.5 1.0 8.0 ... shares are quoted in cents. Shares prices in bold are 189 RGI International157.5 0.5 0.0 ... constituents of the FTSE 100. Readers wishing to re2 Robotic Tech 4.0 0.0 0.0 ... quest the listing of a stock on this page should write 35 Rugby Est 261.0 0.0 1.5 ... to: City Desk - Shares, at The Independent, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. 26 Scapa 18.2 0.0 0.0 ... 13 Scisys 47.5 0.0 0.0 ... 8 ServicePower 4.6 0.6 0.0 ... This newspaper adheres to the system of self95 Shore Capital 38.0 -0.2 0.8 ... regulation overseen by the Press Complaints 1048 Songbird Estates160.0 2.8 0.0 ... Commission. The PCC takes complaints about the 27 SPARK Vent 6.6 0.1 0.0 ... editorial content of publications under the Editor's 341 Sportingbet 68.0 -0.5 1.5 ... Code of Practice, a copy of which can be found at www.pcc.org.uk. 61 StatPro 102.0 0.0 1.7 ...
4556 212 8272 480 1502 472 2049 164 573 880 158 2559 1240 38 502 1148 1011 978 1059 436 324 369 4888 1220 1974 2850 590 2471 1301
42 BUSINESS
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
AIM delistings still on the rise but experts see hopeful signs
Small Talk
By Alistair Dawber
IT WILL come as no surprise to regular readers of this column that the number of delistings on AIM has continued to rise, making the past year the worst by far for the small-cap sector. However, research published today shows that while AIM cannot claim to be in great health, the picture may not be as bleak as the numbers suggest. According to Trowers & Hamlins, a City law firm, and the accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, the number of companies delisting from AIM increased in the fourth quarter to 73, from 63 between June and September. However, the firms say that the unexpected jump in delistings has been driven by the number of AIM companies being taken over. Nearly a third, 23, of the delistings were due to companies being taken over in the fourth quarter, versus 13 takeovers in third quarter. Takeover activity became the leading reason for delisting from AIM in the three months to the end of December, the research shows. Still, 22 companies had to delist in the fourth quarter because of insolvency or financial stress, but that is down from 27 in previous three months. The
Is Silence golden for investors?
SILENCE Therapeutics looks set to become the first company off the blocks to tempt investors to part with their cash on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) this decade. The group should get the go-ahead for a �15m placing today, when an extraordinary general meeting is due to rubber stamp a recent merger deal. Of course, AIM is not short of ambitious biotechnology companies looking for investor backing. All claim to have cutting-edge technology that will lead to untold success. Few, however, can point to a Nobel Prize. Silence is so-called because it uses a technique known as RNA interference, which can "selectively silence genes linked to the onset of a disease, thus leading to the creation of a new class of therapeutic products". The placing follows Silence's merger last month with Intradigm Corporation, with the subscription of the shares priced at 23p. According to the company, a number of impressive current backers, including Alta Partners and Roche Finance, have already committed more than �5m. Nomura Code has underwritten the placing. Silence Therapeutics hailed the merger with Intradigm as allowing the combined group to "build a competitive offering and facilitate more deals of greater value with the pharmaceutical industry". Silence will control 66 per cent of the combined company. The group's chairman, Iain Ross, will become chairman of the combined group, while Philip Haworth, Intradigm's chief executive, will take the same job at Silence. The company will be headquartered in London.
Laurence Sacker: `There are still a lot of walking wounded out there'
READER OFFER
CHAMPAG NE DINNER*WITH
FREE
figure is still over double the amount that cited insolvency or financial stress as their reason for delisting a year ago. "The increase in delistings this quarter is not wholly bad news for AIM because so many of the cancellations have been driven by takeover activity," said Charles Wilson, partner at Trowers & Hamlins. "Some of the more recent takeovers of AIM companies have been launched by management or by majority shareholders � it is a positive sign when insiders are willing to initiate takeovers of AIM companies they are involved in." The findings do show a worrying bounce in the number of companies citing the costs of an AIM listing as
their reason for delisting, however: 14 groups left AIM in the fourth quarter, up from six in previous quarter. "AIM is clearly not out of the woods just yet and these figures show its recovery is still quite mixed," said Laurence Sacker, a partner at UHY Hacker Young. "Sentiment about AIM has improved considerably over the last year but unfortunately investors should expect that many more AIM companies will become insolvent before the UK economy returns to its pre-recession size. There are still a lot of walking wounded out there." A total of 498 companies have now delisted from AIM in the last two years, with 280 leaving in the last 12 months.
Barcel� Walton Hall
WINTER PERSON PER NIGHT ESCAPES FROM �24.75 PER
Add dinner for 2 and receive a FREE bottle of Champagne
Offer extended until 31 January 2010
Winter gives Britain's historic cities and spa towns a special ambience and romance. With this exclusive offer, you can retreat to a real fire and comfortable bed at your Barcel� Hotel and, if you pre-book dinner for two from �17pp, we'll throw in a bottle of champagne.
Business in brief
Call for change Oil firms yet to to annuity rules amend Iraq deals
INSURANCE Savers should be given more flexibility over when they have to buy an annuity with their pension pot, the Association of British Insurers will say today. It wants the age raised from 75 to 80 as part of a series of proposals it wants the Government to adopt to improve saving into "defined contribution" pension schemes. OILGlobal oil majors negotiating multibillion-dollar deals with Iraq have yet to respond to state requests for changes to the contracts, a government spokesman has said, contradicting reports that the changes have been agreed. Deals with the companies, including Shell, will not go to cabinet until the amendments have been accepted, the spokesman added.
Barcel� Hotel
Luxury Country House Hotels Barcel� Shrigley Hall Hotel, Golf & Country Club, Cheshire * Barcel� Troon Marine Hotel, Ayrshire * Barcel� Redworth Hall Hotel, County Durham * Barcel� Walton Hall, Warwickshire* Barcel� Billesley Manor Hotel, nr Stratford upon Avon * Barcel� The Lygon Arms, The Cotswolds * Spa Town Hotels Barcel� Buxton Palace Hotel, Derbyshire Barcel� Cheltenham Park Hotel Barcel� Harrogate Majestic Hotel Barcel� Combe Grove Manor Hotel, Bath* Coastal Hotels Barcel� Blackpool Imperial Hotel Barcel� Brighton Old Ship Hotel Barcel� Torquay Imperial Hotel Historic City Hotels Barcel� Oxford Hotel Barcel� Cardiff Angel Hotel Barcel� Edinburgh Carlton Hotel Explore the UK Barcel� Daventry Hotel, Northamptonshire Barcel� Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire Barcel� Basingstoke Country Hotel Barcel� Walton Hotel, Warwickshire Barcel� Stirling Highland Hotel
2 nights B&B, 2 people, from
Dinner prices are per person
�119 �99 �119 �159 �159 �209 �119 �119 �129 �169 �109 �129 �119 �119 �119 �199 �99 �99 �99 �129 �139
�23 �25 �25 �35 �30 �35 �20 �20 �20 �25 �17 �20 �20 �20 �20 �20 �20 �20 �20 �25 �20
Virgin, NAB gear up for New Year bank battle
BANKING National Australia Bank is preparing to bid for Northern Rock when the "good" part of the state-owned bank is put up for sale. NAB already owns Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks. It comes as Virgin Money gears up for a major push into the banking market, which could see it tabling bids of its own. A banking licence is expected to be secured in a matter of weeks. Parts of Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland are also set to be sold to create "new" banks.
No. 20314 of 2009 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE CHANCERY DIVISION, COMPANIES COURT IN THE MATTER OF GOLDSHIELD GROUP PLC AND IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2006 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Order of the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division dated 17 December 2009 confirming the reduction of share capital of the Company from �1,919,941.20 to �541,609.05 and the statement of capital of the Company approved by the Court and the several particulars required by the above-mentioned Act were registered by the Registrar of Companies on 17 December 2009. Dated 4 January 2009 Jones Day 21 Tudor Street, London EC4Y 0DJ Reference: JP006204/962286-602028 Solicitors to the Company
*A Barcel� Premium Hotel
Call: 0844 5711 879 quoting IN10
Rates based on two people sharing a double or twin room for a minimum two night stay on a bed and breakfast basis. Rooms subject to availability and rates valid up to 31 January 2010. Once this offer has gone you will be offered the next best available price. Weekend supplements may apply at some hotels. *One bottle of Barcel� recommended champagne per couple each night dinner for two is pre-booked. If you wish to add dinner please enquire at time of booking. Dinner is a three course meal served in the hotel restaurant. These prices are `from' package prices. All bookings require full prepayment and are non-refundable and non-transferable. A �2.50 credit card charge will apply. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.barcelohotels.co.uk/terms-and-conditions. Offer operated by Barcel� Hotels & Resorts, a company independent of Independent News and Media Plc. When you respond to promotions and offers we may use your information to contact you with offers/services that we believe will be of interest. Please give your mobile or email details if you wish to receive offers by sms or email. We will not give your data to other companies without your permission; please let us know if you are happy for us to do so. 0871 calls charged at 10ppm from BT landlines.
Sugar price to soar in 2010
COMMODITIES Sugar prices are poised to scale new heights in 2010 thanks to a chronic under-investment in production, one of Britain's oldest sugar traders has warned. Toby Cohen, head of analysis at the Czarnikow Group, said: "Looking at the rise in sugar prices this year, we believe that the full extent of the supply problems facing the market have yet to be reflected in price levels." Prices doubled in 2009 from 12 cents per pound to more than 25c, a 28-year high.
independent.travelreaderoffers.co.uk
43
`The end of capitalist media is a modern Marxist fantasy'
Tim Luckhurst, page 45
Consumers will define brands in 2010
Claire Beale, Page 47
Media
THE INDEPENDENT
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
`Local will be the new global'
Marian Salzman travels the world spotting media trends. The top futurologist gives her predictions on how we'll live and work in 2010. By Ian Burrell
ou have to hand it to Marian Salzman. For someone known internationally as a media futurist it takes some self-confidence to confess that you thought Facebook was just a pointless student fad, and that your initial reaction to Twitter was that it was "a ridiculous thing". But Salzman, writer, advertising executive, global public relations guru, has every faith in her judgement, having spent her career spotting trends invisible to most of us until she gave them a name. She is the author of books with titles such as Next, Now and Buzz and The Future of Men and has championed such new breeds as the "Wigger" (suburban whites infatuated with black urban culture) and the "Metrosexual" (the sensitive, citydwelling modern male). So she is not afraid to tell things as she sees them. On a brief visit to Europe, the Connecticut-based Salzman dares suggest a view that in most London media circles is tantamount to heresy; namely that Rupert Murdoch is overrated as a power player. "I don't know if it's geography or personal pull but a man is making a market here and I don't feel that influence," she says, referring to the way the British media breathlessly responded to The Times's online paywall plans and the attempted resuscitation of MySpace. "In America he is no different from any other titan; [NBC's] Ben Silverman ... Oprah Winfrey, [New York Times owner] Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. There are about 24 of them, each interesting and iconic. Rupert Murdoch? I'd be much more interested in [Google's] Sergey Brin or [Facebook's] Mark Zuckerberg." As for MySpace, "it's perceived as virtually over. It's just a music destination for people that are big music aficionados � and to promote indie bands." Despite her early suspicions of Facebook and Twitter, Salzman, 48, describes herself as "totally internetaddicted since '92". She is "certainly not someone who's technologically fearful in any way". Her roles within the advertising industry, where she has been based in London, New York and Amsterdam, include such grandiose titles as "worldwide director of the Department of the Future" at TBWA, "president of the Intelli-
Y
Hot or not? Mark Zuckerman's Facebook is now `entrenched in life', according to Salzman. As for the big movers in 2010, the futurologist is much more interested in Google's Sergey Brin, below right with Larry Page, and Twitter's Jack Dorsey, left, with Biz Stone, than Rupert Murdoch, far left
AP; EPA; AFP/GETTY
gence Factory" at Young & Rubicam and, more conventionally, "chief marketing officer" at JWT Worldwide. She has written columns for Adweek in America and for Marketing Week and Psychologies in the UK. And during the course of a Eurostar journey to Paris, where she has a meeting with senior colleagues at the global marketing communications agency Euro RSCG Worldwide, she breaks down how she thinks media will be produced and consumed in 2010. Although she has created her "own newspaper" in the form of a global Twitter feed from 70 of her favourite journalists, Salzman remains a great
"If Murdoch puts up lots of gateways, nobody will bother to shop with him"
admirer of the "portability" of the printed product; she buys a broadsheet, a tabloid and a local paper every day. "As long as there are commuters, there will be morning newspapers. I don't see the Kindle [an electronic reader] replacing newspapers." For one thing, the restaurant reviews and advertising that she absorbs in the local Stamford Advocate, "I'm never going to find via the Kindle. I look for local sales and local ideas. To me, local is the new global," she says. Digital technology, she believes, will help create a less London-centric Britain. "Second and third cities [can] really take off; any city with an educational hub, an airport or a boat port, an immigrant culture and financial incentives for businesses. You will see people hunker down and stay local and bring the rest of the world to them digitally." When she reads papers, Salzman tears out stories that hint at future trends, noting key words and running
them through Factiva, the Dow Jones research service. Contrary to what some people may think, the demand for news, she argues, has never been greater. "A strong news organisation has extraordinary relevance. Politics has become pop culture and governing has become more relevant to people. In the Western world people have become more interested in social issues than they have been in decades." Genuinely "cerebral" media will find an audience, and there will be a hunger for independent reporting, but obvious vehicles for luxury advertising will find revenues drying up. Salzman is not optimistic about commercial television, claiming it is insufficiently targeted to satisfy advertisers. "Broadcast is going to be the most irrelevant thing as we know it," she says. "What's going to stay on the air is going to have low ratings." The answer to monetising media is in "contextual commerce", she says. So when you read an article or watch a piece of video about Bruce Spring-
steen, you can buy a ticket at the same time, or purchase The Boss's music. "That's where there's going to be money. That's the opposite of what Murdoch is trying to do. If he puts up so many gateways, nobody will bother to shop with him." Those who work in creative advertising will have to beware online developments such as Spotrunner.com, which allow clients to make commercials without using a professional agency. "You can make your own ads for $4,500 and do your media buying through the internet. You could be any company from the local dry cleaners to a political campaign and the ads are pretty good quality." Salzman herself abandoned conventional advertising and moved into a public relations role, partly as a result of her success in 2002 of promoting the concept of the metrosexual (a term originally coined by British journalist Mark Simpson in 1994). "We had no
CONTINUED ON PAGE 45
44 MEDIA
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
For the record
Compiled by Ian Burrell
"A large and unwieldy ship taking on more and more cargo," author PD James uses a nautical theme to deride the growth of the BBC
MEDIA MORSEL
900,000
The number of people working in digital media in Britain, according to the National Union of Journalists
Thriller at the Beeb
2
The mauling of BBC director general Mark Thompson by Today programme guest editor PD James (below) was especially uncomfortable for the Corporation's marketing and communications chiefs Sharon Baylay and Ed Williams, who were singled out by the novelist in her attack on BBC executive pay. "Vast sums of money, and one wonders really what actually is going on here," said James, who said the subject was "of enormous concern to many people outside" the BBC. Thompson accepted she had raised "a real, real issue", so perhaps he'll stop deferring to "surveys" which purportedly show the public is not bothered about BBC executive pay.
This man of mischief is in a different class
Proud of his blue-collar roots, Dave Trott has made some of Britain's most popular ads. He talks philosophy to Ian Burrell
`M
Stolen kiss
2
Once the king of pirate radio, the legendary station Kiss is being dragged into the mainstream by owners Bauer Media, which will today cut back a number of the Kiss specialist music shows and axe several presenters in order to reposition the network to take on Global Radio operations such as Galaxy. Shame.
Dog's breakfast
2
Staff at GMTV face the year with trepidation, following the takeover by ITV. Already out the door is GMTV editor Martin Frizzell, partner of the station's former presenter Fiona Phillips (below). "There's no easy way to say this but I'm off," Frizzell told colleagues in a late-night email before his departure. He said it was a "natural point" for him to go but many knew before he did that he'd been replaced by ITV Daytime's Sue Walton. Staff then gathered in the GMTV fourth-floor newsroom to hear ITV senior executive Alison Sharman inform them of Frizzell's "decision", while the former editor sat in the distance, behind the glass walls of his office.
u
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
Ian Burrell discusses media matters online at independent.co.uk/iburrell and twitter.com/ianburrell
ost of it's fake, this is fake, it's all fake ... " says Dave Trott, gesturing to a painting on the wall, part of what must be one of the finest modern art collections you'll find in a British living room. Among the best-known names in creative advertising, Trott is responsible for some of the most memorable endlines from a golden era of television commercials. He kicked off his career with Pepsi's "Lipsmackin' thirstquenchin'..." campaign, introduced pub singers Chas & Dave to the nation in the Courage Bitter ads "Gertcha", and persuaded rock singer Ian Dury (the subject of an imminent film biopic) to voiceover "'ello Tosh, gotta Toshiba?" for an ad promoting televisions. Trott's portfolio is unashamedly "blue collar", reflecting his Cockney roots, and brash, a by-product of an art school education in New York City, where he had his first job in adland. "My work is intelligent working class, they don't mind being sold something but they like a good joke and a singalong. It's like The Sun. You don't have to take it deadly seriously, it's not The Guardian," he says. "Have a bit of fun, but be intelligent, don't be patronising and crass. That's what I learned in New York � blue collar doesn't have to be stupid." Or lacking in style either. The "fakes" in Trott's north London home are remarkable pieces of art in their own right. A favourite postcard image of a boat at sea has been copied by an artist friend on a grand scale, varnished and cracked to give the impression of an old master. A Velazquez-inspired still life features a couple of items bought from a market. "That's a Picasso," he says, gesturing at a sculpture made from clay, rubbed with graphite, to imitate the rusty steel of the
Adman Dave Trott, above; made his first campaign for Pepsi, left; and hired singer Ian Dury, below REX
original. There is a bowl made from a vinyl LP and an African-looking pot crafted from car tyres. Such concoctions represent a favourite Trott maxim: one plus one equals three, or the whole should be greater than the sum of the parts. Just as East End plus Brooklyn equals Trott. He quotes a lot of philosophy for an adman, referencing the lateral thinker Edward de Bono and the medieval intellectual William of Ockham and asking: "Are you familiar with gestalt, how your mind works?" And now he has written down his own creed in a book, Creative Mischief, in which he details what he has learned in a 40-year career. More than just a handbook for advertising copywriters, it is a source of inspiration for anyone who wants to stand apart from the crowd, which should be everyone in these times of media convergence. In the book we get pearls of wisdom such as "Predatory Thinking", which explains the need to outwit the opposition. So, two explorers are in the jungle, cornered by a tiger, and one takes out his running shoes. The other explorer tells him he will never outrun a tiger. "I just have to outrun
you," comes the reply. The mischief is exemplified by an anecdote from Trott's early days at the legendary British ad agency BMP, where he learned that one of the senior executives had been so horrified by The Exorcist ("the most evil book he'd ever read"), that he threw it off the end of Brighton pier into the sea. Trott then went to a book shop and bought another copy, ran it under the tap, and left it dripping in the executive's drawer for him to find. He tells of how he lied his way aboard a steamer to travel to South America and how he encouraged his young children to come into his agency and swear in front of his colleagues, to teach them that "nothing is wrong, just inappropriate". But the central message is the importance of not being restrained by establishment rules. He is exasperated by students who ask him what they are "allowed" to do and fail to see the need to do something different to stand out. "Everyone's frightened to be different. That's my whole point, you don't have to be better, you have to be different." Trott pulls five coins from his pocket and holds them up, one after the other. "Which one do you remember?" he asks, knowing the answer will be the 50p coin among the four �1 pieces. "They're all worth double what that's worth, but that's the one that's different, it's not rocket science is it?" It's why Trott, as a recent judge at the prestigious D&AD advertising and design awards, preferred the
"smart little ideas" to the "big budget productions" that he says have become the new establishment in British advertising. "English people are basically embarrassed to be in advertising so consequently they get much more into the craft of what they're doing," he says. "They get much more interested in film and photography than in the creativity of selling." The result, he says, is million-pound blockbuster ads which fail to mention the name of the brand they're advertising. That doesn't impress someone whose "Ariston ... and on ... and on" washing machine ads were so effective they were mimicked in a speech by Margaret Thatcher. As a teenager in the late Sixties, Trott felt like a failure when he was rejected by seven art colleges. On the advice of his New York-based sister he enrolled in a Brooklyn college, where he was an outsider, a sharp-looking London mod living in BedfordStuyvesant and studying with badly-dressed American art students (Trott digs out a black and white of his teenage self in suit and tie, cigarette dangling like Jean-Paul Belmondo in Breathless). But at New York ad agency Carl Ally he learned a fresh "punch the consumer in the nose" approach to advertising, which was a world away from the Mad Men culture of Madison Avenue in the Sixties. He took that attitude back to London where at Boase Massimi Pollitt (BMP), he worked for the great John Webster (creator of the Smash Martians and The Sugar Puffs Honey Monster) and built one of Britain's most successful agencies. Now running Chick Smith Trott (CST), he has built a large following for his posts on Dave's Blog, which display the same distinctive thinking that appears in Creative Mischief. Adland can buy Trott's book and heed his advice, or it can ignore it. Either way he wins. "If everybody is doing that dozy, big budget advertising that's fine," he says. "It's easy for me to stand out when people are doing that dull, lazy stuff."
Creative Mischief by Dave Trott is published by Loaf Marketing, �7.99
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
MEDIA 45
Tim Luckhurst
Demise of news barons is just a Marxist fantasy
mong people who claim to know the future of journalism a consensus is forming. Western democracies stand on the brink of the decade in which professional reporting will die. There will be no further need for newspapers or broadcasters to host debates and represent public opinion. The internet will let every citizen speak for themselves. The masses will seize the means of media production. We will witness an era of revolutionary change. New media prophets pore over the evidence, and find it thrillingly compelling. Circulations of UK daily national newspapers are down by a fifth since 2000. Sunday and local titles have fared worse. They wonder who will have the honour of sacking the last newspaper journalist and whether, with even the BBC cutting jobs, their siblings in broadcasting will be culled first. Granted, the economics of the news industry is appalling, and the law is making things worse. Celebrity scandal, long a source of income for Britain's least lovable press, is threatened by the courts' increasingly restrictive interpretation of the balance between privacy and public interest. Super-injunctions abound. Libel tourism gives Britain a deplorable reputation among people who appreciate the symbiotic relationship between democracy and freedom of expression. And so media futurologists predict the end of independent capitalist media barons such as Rupert Murdoch, Lord Rothermere and the Barclay brothers. They will go the way of the dodo: they have no defence against the technology that has come to kill them But there is an elementary delusion behind the idea that amateurs can report accurately and a colossal fallacy at the heart of the prophets' vision. The delusion was illustrated during Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Obama felt secure at a
A
meeting with supporters. No reporters were present, so he admitted that he was not surprised that small-town voters "get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them". Days later, Mayhill Fowler, a blogger who attended the event as a contributor to the Obama campaign, reported his comments to a citizen journalism website. To people who forecast a glorious future without professional reporting this was an example of new-media democracy in action. No longer could politicians say what they believe in private and dissemble in public. A blogger would always expose the truth. Wiser counsel acknowledges that a political reporter who did not tell his editor about such a story for so long would be sacked. Nor can the public right to know depend on the dictates of an individual's conflicted conscience. Such decisions should be guided by professional priorities and ethics. The fallacy rests on the delu-
Lord Rothermere, chairman of Daily Mail & General Trust DAVID SANDISON
sion that private ownership by capitalists has damaged journalism. The facts suggest the opposite. Since the first American newspaper baron, James Gordon Bennett I, created the New York Herald, and his British disciple Alfred Harmsworth followed with Britain's Daily Mail, profit-driven ownership has liberated reporters. Before the barons, journalism readily succumbed to direct sponsorship by political parties. Impoverished publications were bullied by powerful litigants. They could not afford professional reporters and printed opinions not facts. Afterwards, while journalism has often exercised power without responsibility, it has done so in the name of a version of the public interest that is gloriously independent of the state. So, what will the second decade of the 21st century mean for this tradition of cussed, unlovable freedomenhancing journalism? Clearly the technical ease with which words and images can be circulated around the globe has changed everything. Information is available from a plethora of sources. They range from government websites to company portals and activist blogs. Therein lies part of the problem. Democracy cannot thrive if state or commercial power is left free to scrutinise itself. It needs honest, authoritative reporting of the kind Britons have become accustomed to receiving from newspapers and broadcasters. And the internet makes surveillance and intrusion as easy as it makes information sharing. That creates a greater need for the scrutiny only professional journalism can guarantee. It can, of course, be delivered online in glorious multimedia detail and at unprecedented speed. The internet is a superb storytelling tool. Multimedia journalists use it to deploy audio, video and text in previously impossible combinations. In the right hands it makes
Knighted barons: some experts hope blogging will replace media moguls such as Telegraph Group owners Sir David Barclay, left, and brother Sir Frederick AFP/GETTY
reporting, investigation and analysis clearer, faster and more inviting than ever. It may also make it cheaper. It certainly makes reporting interactive. Discussion with and accountability to the community they serve is now one of a journalist's core duties. Online consumers are blissfully accustomed to recommending stories and columns and sharing them via links. The internet makes real the relationship of trust between reporter and consumer that was previously asserted but only occasionally tested. This is good for honest journalism. The relationship will deepen as more news consumers become comfortable with online technology. But, in common with all machinery, the internet is morally neutral. As it matures in an era of nigh-universal broadband and wireless access, it will not automatically make journalism better. That will happen only if professional journalism's values, and the economic models necessary to support them, adapt to thrive online. Intense thought and experimentation dedicated to devising these models is under way in news corporations, good universities and hyper-local news collectives. There is not yet a single one-size-
fits-all model for profitable, professional journalism in the 21st century, but a powerful alliance of commerce, conscience and intellect is converging around the certainty that such journalism is essential if representative democracy is to endure. Citizen journalism's most devout evangelists are wrong. Their wisdom is purely ideological. In fact, the people who now predict the end of professional journalism's reign of sovereignty have attacked edited, fact-based reporting for decades. They think it is as an ideological invention created to sell myths to the masses. Students of media studies have been force-fed this anti-democratic bunkum for decades. Now the internet is exploited as an opportunity to invite the population at large to swallow it too. Forget it. Professional journalism will survive because it is necessary and the market will find a way to supply it. People who claim otherwise only pretend that their mission is prediction. In fact, they are working to mould the future to match a postmodern Marxist fantasy.
Tim Luckhurst is Professor of Journalism at the University of Kent. Stephen Glover is away
`People will pay to go to media-free resorts'
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43
budget and made the whole world listen. I couldn't have done that with an ad. Never in my career had I been associated with an ad that got so much conversation going." She is conscious that, had she been championing metrosexuality in the era of Twitter, she may have had a rougher ride. "Instead of bubbling up to the surface over a couple of weeks, it might have exploded like a nuclear bomb," she says. "It would have been
to easy for it to have been hijacked and reoriented in 140 characters." Nonetheless, she says instant messaging, despite her initial misgivings, is here to stay. Facebook, which she once thought was "a hook-up service for Ivy League kids who wanted to get laid in other schools" is now "entrenched in life". "I have a chart that I'm presenting tomorrow in Paris which says that, if Facebook was a country, it would be the fifth largest in the world in terms of population." Salzman is less complimentary
about Google, which she says has an image problem. "I think we all have to be a little afraid of Google. It has become what Bill Gates used to be, this Big Brother figure. I almost hope that Yahoo rebounds, just so that there's an alternative to Google." In 2010, consumers will go online to obtain almost everything, she believes, even partners. Whereas online dating was once considered dangerous, "we are going to flip-flop that and say `You didn't do your homework. How could
you be so irresponsible to just go and meet somebody?'" Many of us will be so attached to the 24-7 output of our mobiles that we will be barely able to abandon them for sleep. "That's going to be their most intimate relationship," says Sulzman. There'll also be a flip-flop, or indeed flip-flops, for that rather sad scenario. "I think we are going to see people paying a premium to go to spaces where the technology is all totally turned off," says the futurist. "You're going to see people go to these media-free resorts."
Crystal-ball gazer: Marian Salzman
46 MEDIA
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Breaking news: women's football in the Illustrated Picture News, 1895, above; the closure of City of Glasgow Bank, The Graphic, 1878, top right; the lights go on in Godalming, The Graphic, 1881, above right
How to time travel by search engine
Millions of digitised pages of ancient newspapers can now be trawled for names and places, says Ian Burrell
I
f only the appropriately named Miss Nettie J Honeyball could see the England women's football team now. Nettie, a tough-looking cookie in knickerbockers and a Wee Willie Winkie hat, pioneered the entry of women into the beautiful game during Victorian times. You'd know that if you read your 19th-century newspapers, which you now can if you subscribe to the British Library website as it digitises millions of pages of newsprint. You can read stories from long-defunct publications that chronicled Britain as it learned news of Waterloo and the abolition of slavery, and responded to the emergence of railways and the introduction of electric lighting. Until recently, these ancient publications could only be scoured by visiting in person the reading rooms at Colindale in the northern suburbs of London. Now they can be trawled using search engines that can pick out the mention of a surname or a place name from 49 titles, from Trewman's Exeter Flying Post to The Northern Liberator and the Illustrated Police News. A further one million pages of the archive are about to be transferred from fragile, disintegrating newsprint to digital format. Editions of London's Morning Post and the Standard (which
is tenuously linked to the existing free evening title of the same name) will become accessible online, along with a further 22 regional newspapers, including Dundee's The Courier, which is still being published. Not least among the benefits of the programme is the potential for regional newspaper publishers, the worstafflicted sector of an industry that is struggling to make money from the internet, to derive income from journalism that may have been published 200 years previously. According to Ed King, head of the newspaper collections at the British Library, many regional newspaper publishers destroyed their archives a long time ago. In such cases, the library is willing to digitise its own copies, allowing the publisher � which retains the copyright � to monetise access to the material. "We can make them available in our reading rooms for our audiences in the British Library," says King. "But if it was accessed externally it would be part of the publisher's business model and users would be directed to their website." The potential of this project is great, given that the collections contain 750 million pages for digitisation. The papers that have become accessible over the past two years include some
Then as now: controversy over MPs' working arrangements is highlighted by The Western Mail of 1894
"We soon realised we had an audience that was potentially worldwide"
of the great sellers of their day, such as Lloyd's Illustrated Newspaper and Reynolds's Newspaper. "These were really interesting papers because they were liberal or radical press � academics are really interested in that," says King. "Lloyd's, by the late 1880s, was selling 800,000 copies a week. Reynolds's was selling 300,000400,000 in its heyday in the 1870s. This was big stuff, not small beer." The readerships of many titles were disproportionately higher. "Until the relaxation of taxes on paper and publishing in the 1860s, newspapers were not cheap. So many were sold and then read out loud to audiences," says King. "Nobody has much evidence about readership because papers were read in coffeehouses and working mechanics institutes, clubs of one kind or another and possibly pubs." The digital archive is a lesson in how history repeats itself. Witness the cov-
erage in The Graphic of the collapse in 1878 of the City of Glasgow Bank, which is reminiscent of the Royal Bank of Scotland's recent problems. The City of Glasgow Bank went down after accruing liabilities of �6m following extensive loans on poor security and wild speculation on Australian mining stocks and American railway shares. The Western Mail of 1894 was mocking MPs who resented their working arrangements. And as Illustrated Picture News makes clear, Miss Honeyball was attracting large crowds to women's football matches in 1895. Its depiction of a game played in Crouch End, north London, raises questions as to why the England women's team, which reached the European Championships final this summer, has not received more support over the years. Although some national newspaper titles, such as The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Mirror, have digitised
their archives, the British Library's offering, which includes one million pages from 17th-century titles, gives unique possibilities for exploring the minutiae of everyday British life. It is a valuable resource for genealogists who, from home, can search for the names of their relatives. "People can search 100 years of a place. There are reports of committee meetings, church meetings, and advertisements which contain the names of the family or person advertising, births, marriages and deaths, the names of people going to market, " says King. Simon Fowler, editor of Ancestors magazine, says the digitisation of the archive has transformed its value. "Until now, researchers haven't been able to easily use this resource. Now they can and it will provide a lot of new evidence about their ancestors' lives that can't be found elsewhere, as well as leads to new avenues of research." The project traces the growth of the newspaper, from early 19th-century operations, often based at the homes of proprietors, to the ambitious businesses that were aided by technological advances such as the introduction of the railway and the telegraph, speeding up news-gathering and distribution processes. As well as being a chance for local papers to make money, it is also a sobering exercise that shows that the closure of newspapers is a story as old as the industry itself. "Many of the regionals even then were quite shortlived," says King. "Nobody has done the maths on how many papers went under in the economic recessions of the 1800s but it would be a very interesting piece of research."
Subscriptions to the British Library's British Newspapers 1800-1900 archive: http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
MEDIA 47
MEDIA MORSEL
69
Number of journalists killed in 2009, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The figure included 32 reporters massacred in the Philippines in November
Consumers will shape brands in 2010
Claire Beale
On Advertising
A
s the new year breaks, you'll find the advertising industry clutching a whole new set of forecasts and predictions (fingers crossed behind their backs) in the hope of offering their shell-shocked clients some clarity on what lies ahead. Time, then, for a little crystal-ball tickling. Except that clarity will be some time coming yet. In fact, the only certainty is that consumers will be dictating the rules of the marketing game as the second decade of the millennium kicks off. How freely consumers open their purses over the coming year will have a profound effect on the shape of the advertising and marketing industries for years to come. According to market research giant Mintel, after 18 months of recession consumers are emerging into 2010 with a battle-hardened approach to domestic spending. We're spending time to save money (cooking more, DIYing more, being more organised with our lives so that we can be more organised with our money). And these newly responsible consumers are more focused on value than ever before, better at bargain hunting or simply saying "no" as they learn to get by with less. This new austerity-savvy consumer is also a more cynical one, questioning brands on everything from performance promises to environmental
`Simples' pleasures: the catchphrase of Comparethemarket.com's fictional meerkat Alecsandr Orlov has caught on
claims. Simply put, we're less trusting. But for advertisers, perhaps the most important characteristic of the new consumer is that they're in control of the marketing dynamic as never before. As the interconnectivity of our social-networking tools speeds up, we have unparalleled access to information and more power to make our own voices heard. A single complaint against a product or company can be amplified globally within hours. Marketers now need to keep a 24/7 watch over their brands and be ready to mobilise a response team to deal with consumer uprisings. Brand-guardianship is now literally a full-time job. No surprise, then, that smart mar-
keters will be increasingly trying to leverage these empowered and opinionated consumers for the benefit of their brands. I've written about crowd-sourcing in this column before; how advertisers are turning to the masses not just for their views on brands but for their contribution to marketing strategies and creative advertising ideas. And as uncomfortable as it might be for the ad industry, this is one marketing fashion that's not fading any time soon. For marketers looking to give their customers a real sense of shared ownership of a brand, crowd-sourcing is a powerful tool. And a (comparatively) cheap one. Leveraging the might of
these empowered, networked consumers will also become more sophisticated as internet search technology evolves. But it's not your social network that marketers are sniffing round, so much as your social graph, the lasso that harnesses you, your friends and your friends' friends into a matrix of mutuality. You've probably seen images of social graphs, beautiful constellations of people you know and who they know, all ribboned together in a connected whorl. Well, we're not far off marketers being able to exploit these constellations. Real-time searches across tightly targeted social graphs will soon be a reality, allowing con-
sumers to begin to search for information on the basis of relationships between people rather than relationships between web pages. In this hyper-cynical, consumerempowered world, relationships will be the key building blocks of marketing. Forging them, though, will require brands to perform roles beyond their own functionality. Brands must find new ways to be useful, perhaps through branded events, advice and information services, new widgets and apps that help make life that little bit easier, or even entire branded media channels that entertain and inform. You'll see more brands emerge as media owners over the coming years, when marketers in a fragmented media world seek to bypass traditional media (and their advertising rate cards) in favour of creating their own platforms for building connections with their customers. Among all these advances in consumer empowerment and the pursuit by brands of new, more personal relationships with their consumers, the role of traditional advertising is far from clear. However, if the past decade has taught us anything, it's that arresting and entertaining commercial images can be more powerful than ever if they're conceived with connectivity in mind. From catchphrases such as Alecsandr Orlov's "simples" to commercials that invite participation (TMobile's flash-mob dance in Liverpool Street station last year or the "Do us a flavour" campaign by Walkers crisps), advertising can still be a social glue that creates communities. And if we can predict anything at all about advertising's next decade, it's that communities and networks will be at its heart.
The Monday Crossword by Raich
1 8 2 3 4 5 9 6 7
No 7244, 4 January 2010
ACROSS
8 Old instrument swimmer's taken by force? Not half (4,4) 9 Would-be showman questions clothes (6) 10 Has settled in the French capital (5) 11 Obsessive type snubs daughter in bar over fighting men (7) 12 Game in still water (4) 13 Exciting time, or dreary one? (3) 14 Love to be seen in a place to live in the water (6) 15 Notes it's surprising to receive returned payment (6) 17 Withdrew, caught out, like top players at Wimbledon (6) 20 Retrospective agreement including supplement became void (6) 22 Pro on table leads, exhibiting successful shot (3) 23 Plain, say, it's not far to go (4) 24 Smart to pinch a butcher's implement? (7) 25 Guards squander savings at first (5) 26 Learn wrestling at university? That's fanciful! (6) 27 He's in charge of private fabric worker (8) 5 6 7 13 16 18 19 21 23 25 dawn? (7) Sign that's regularly taken to show folds in body (6) Form of Sun lead involving Earl not settled yet? (8) Arshavin, say, after match giving sauce at meal? (7,8) Beliefs essentially leftwing (3) He attends unconventional set on board ship (8) English are tense � that's cause to worry! (3) Inform about a reward for winner, we hear (7) Energetic people resided over school (6) Cooking, use a hollow copper dish (6) Bone up on Oxford's principal writer (4)
10
11
12
13
14
15
16 19
17
18
DOWN
1 It could feature band, man and girl (cool), moving about? (8,7) 2 Broadcast riles a republic (6) 3 Bloke heard somewhere near pyramids (4) 4 Coquettish following party's end after
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
t
Stuck? Then call our solutions line on 0906 751 0239. Calls cost 75p per minute at all times from a BT Landline. Calls from other networks may vary and mobiles will be considerably higher. Service supplied by ATS, PO Box 788, London EC1V 7ZA. Call 0871 220 2891 (10p/min) for customer service. THE INDEPENDENT ABROAD Austria 3 Bahrain BD1.30 Belgium 3.25 Croatia KN30 Cyprus 4.20 Czech Rep CZK 125 Denmark DKr29 Estonia EEK64 Finland 5.75 France 3.25 Germany 3 Gibraltar �2 Greece 3.50 Hungary HUF 450 Italy 3 Luxembourg 3 Malta 2.95 Morocco MDH24 Netherlands 3.25 Norway NKr30 Portugal (Cont) 3 Slovakia 3.98/SK120 Slovenia SIT840 Spain 3 Balearics 3.10 Canaries 3.10 Switzerland SFr6 Turkey YTL7.50 US $3
�Published by Independent News & Media Limited, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF, and printed at Trinity Mirror Printing, St Albans Road, Watford, Hollinwood Avenue, Oldham and Cardonald Park, Glasgow. Back issues available from Historic Newspapers, 0844 770 7684. Monday 4 January 2010. Registered as a newspaper with the Post Office
Life
Independent
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
m train en's ers
PAG E 13
The T Besten wo
Get off the treadmill!
M HOW TO GET FIT WITHOUT JOINING A GY
Plus Beauty experts' secrets c Architectural salvation c Virginia Ironside
2
Independent Life Cover story
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
TheLife Browser
______ ON THE WEB TODAY...
The year, remixed
Sampler extraordinaire DJ Earworm has raced to the top of the viral video sharts with his skilful, catchy mashup of the past year's top 25 Billboard US pop chart hits, a track that he has called "United States of Pop 2009". tinyurl.com/yjk785e
2
Got it covered
Still Lifebrowser's favourite online publication, Slate.com has posted a gallery of its editors' favourite cover designs from the site over the last year. We're particularly keen on the one for a piece entitled "What if Woody Allen had directed Watchmen?..." slate.com/id/2238356
2
Fitness begins at home
You don't have to commit to expensive gym membership to get yourself in shape. Holly Williams finds out from the experts how to lose weight and get healthier � without leaving the house
t's that time of year again. You've consumed your own body weight in mince pies and gin, while the most strenuous exercise in weeks was a sozzled bout of dancing on New Year's Eve. It's resolution time, and somewhere near the top of your list is adopting a more healthy, active lifestyle. Such resolutions traditionally also lead to new gym memberships � also known as the forking out of large sums of money to alleviate indolence guilt. In a recession, pouring money down a communal shower's plughole may seem even less appealing, and according to Mintel the average gym membership in 2009 cost �442. That's about �37 per month, with some chains charging significantly more than that. So perhaps it's no wonder that 23 per cent of consumers say they have already cancelled their gym membership, with a further 6 per cent saying they plan to do so, according to the report, which is out this week. "The drop-out rate is built into gyms' business models," says Wesley Doyle, fitness editor for Men's Health magazine. "Everyone feels guilty after the Christmas binge and joins a gym and then drops out after three months." Drop-out rates of 30-40 per cent used to be eased by new members who stayed the course, but in tighter times this fresh in-take is less reliable. Matt Punsheon, manager of Lifetime, a training consultancy and Centre of Excellence for Fitness, suggests our approach is changing: "Over the last year, the people using clubs have changed. It's much more hard-core. People who've been less enthusiastic and self-motivated in the gym have looked at other avenues." Even if we're falling out of love with the crosstrainer, as a nation we still need to shape up. For general health we need at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on five or more days of the week, according to Professor
Virtual future
Mashable.com blogger Jennifer Van Grive has posted an interesting roundup of all Google's launches and achievements of 2009, making a compelling argument for why the search company's new stack of applications points the way to the next decade online mashable.com/2009/12/29/ google-2009
2
I
Rare for a reason
Abe Books is the web's most popular source of obscure, outof-print and second-hand books, and accordingly has a passion for some of the stranger titles out there. The site's devoted "weird book room" is always worth a look. abebooks.co.uk/books/weird
2
u
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
See clips and content at independent.co.uk/lifebrowser
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer at the Department of Health. His guidelines go on to say that "it is likely that, for many people, 45-60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a day will be needed to prevent obesity". A recent survey by PruHealth found that only 10 per cent of us exercise more than five times a week. Perhaps it's hardly surprising that, according to the same study, over half the population (51 per cent) are unhappy with their weight, while the most recent government statistics show that more than a fifth of adults in England are obese. That's a lot more than just the post-Christmas bloat. If gym memberships feel financially out of reach, will our fitness drive be derailed? What are the alternatives to wallet-emptying gyms? Is it possible to stay in your nice warm home and still get your gut back into shape? HapResearch has are ever found that a third pily, therealternatives increasing of people do their to fancy fitness suites. "There are actually exercise at very, very good prodhome" ucts available now," says Punsheon. Fitness equipment is becoming more affordable, while technology is rapidly changing the landscape. "Nintendo's Wii Fit has revolutionised in-home fitness with its broad appeal and focus on fun and social interaction," claimed Mintel's report, Fitness in the Home, this week. Their research found that a third of all respondents exercise at home, with the top three types of exercise equipment being Wii Fit, hand-held weights and exercise DVDs. However, safety can be a concern. Howard de Souza, spokesperson for the Fitness Industry Associa-
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Cover story Independent Life
3
might even deem "fun". We take a look at the options, and get experts to offer their top tips to keep you tip-top.
Home gym
"A home gym is the most cost-effective way of keeping fit, but it comes at price: motivation," says Ray Klerck, a personal trainer. "You have to be diligent about training, otherwise your fitness purchases � and your expanding belly � will soon be gathering dust." But you don't need to fork out for high-end equipment. There are plenty of accessories that aren't too pricey but will help make your workout more effective and more interesting. A set of dumbbells can cost under �50 � Punsheon advises not to bother with expensive names, as "a lot of the time, you're paying for the brand". And weights can slot into your lifestyle: do some reps while you wait for the pasta to boil or while watching TV. Swiss balls cost around �15 and can add a little `boing' to abs training and improve core stability and balance. At only about �10, a skipping-rope will help you add bursts of highenergy cardio to your workout, aiding weight loss while taking up almost no space and no cash. If your budget is bigger, Punsheon recommends TRX bands: "They give you a whole body workout � you could even survive on just that one bit of kit. They cost about �100, but they are equivalent to the whole gym." Just attach the suspension straps to a steady point (like a doorframe), says Punsheon, and you'll have installed "the hottest piece of kit in the industry" in your own home.
Difficulty: As hard as you make it Cost: Around �75-�250 Benefits: All-over training; combines weights and cardio; fits around your life Downsides: You will need to train your selfmotivation too
Fitness DVDs
Blame it on the recession, blame it on the general Eighties revival, but the exercise vid is back with a vengeance. Sales of fitness DVDs increased 46 per cent to 1.9m DVDs sold in 2008, and this year sees plenty more released for the new year market. Having ditched the VHS player, you can't just dig out those dusty old Jane Fonda and Rosemary Conley videos, but splashing out on new ones is cheaper than the gym (and you can still flex in spandex with Rosemary, whose DVD multi-pack, at a mere �5.18, has been heading up Amazon's bestseller list). But it's not just aerobic-style workouts: yoga, pilates, ballroom dancing and clubland exercising can all be yours, while the popular `10-minute solution' range offers bite-size exercise for fitting into busy routines. The celebrity factor is high: Davina McCall and the terrifyingly tiny Tracy `personal-trainer-to-Gwyneth-and-Madonna' Anderson promise to get you super-fit, while Coleen Nolan and former EastEnder Hannah Waterman are apparently desperate to share their weight-loss miracles. So far, so tacky, but even if you laugh while you lunge, these DVDs can help you stick to it. "The personalities on DVDs will help motivate you � Davina is pretty funny, and Alesha Dixon is sound," says Jackson. "I know the trainers they've used, and can recommend them." Do make sure you choose one that has music that you actually (or even secretly) like: the staunchest new year's resolutions may whither at the prospect of pumping it up to Steps covering "Tragedy".
Difficulty: *** Cost: Under �15 Benefits: Variety of workouts; no equipment needed; boosts motivation Downsides: High all-round cheese factor; potential boredom/irritation with soundtrack and presenter
Go for the burn: getting fit at home with (clockwise from top) weights, an exercise bike, simple exercises or a Wii game, can save hundreds of pounds in gym fees
JONATHAN STOREY; REX FEATURES
tion (FIA), explained, "Working out at home is fantastic � if you know what you're doing. But it's not an either/or situation." Occasional classes or sessions with a fitness instructor will keep you exercising accurately. "If money is an issue, then remember there is flexibility in the market now: try local leisure centres," suggests Andy Jackson, business development director for FitPro, an association of fitness industry professionals. The other issue is motivation. The proximity to your sofa and a nice glass of wine may prove a challenge to your workout. "The advantage of exercising at home is that it is accessible � on your doorstep �but the downside is that you will also have access to your
couch," he acknowledges. Doyle at Men's Health has a few tips to turn you into a home-gym bunny: "Have a designated area, so you have to get up and go to train, even if it's just to the shed or the garage. And have a designated time � get up before work, or do it as soon as you come home. The best way to train is with somebody: find a friend." De Souza of the FIA agrees, adding that it helps to have a structured programme. "You need to look at it as going on a journey, with various milestones along the way. Exercise is supposed to be fun!" he says. Whether it's cheesy DVDs, fitness gaming, de-stressing yoga or smart interactive websites, there's bound to be a home-fitness programme that you
4
Independent Life Cover story
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
`Why I'm running a marathon'
This time last year, I had just moved into a new flat. Within weeks it had dawned on me: my long-term gym habit was going to have to go. It was unaffordable. I had to find a way of keeping fit for free. So I cast around for ideas. I bought an exercise bike, and ordered a box of fitness DVDs. Nothing caught the imagination. And then a friend suggested I should start running. At first it was boring. So boring. I'd be puffed-out after 15 minutes. And then something amazing happened: I began to get fitter. Within weeks, I had approached Save The Rhino to ask about running the London marathon. Now it's less than four months away and I'm staring some serious training in the face � but I'm not worried. Progress is tangible, and once you decide you're going to do it you realise there's a host of fellow and former marathon runners waiting to help you out. Particularly useful are the online forums. I've been spoiled for choice as far as training tips and equipment advice are concerned. There are tons of DIY techniques you can use to improve, whether it's running up and down a short hill repeatedly � which I did after an injury break to get back my fitness � or the dubiously named fartlek (from the Swedish), where you insert short sharp sprints into your run to improve overall speed. I've learned the ins and outs of athletic nutrition: the importance of protein and slowburning carbs. And I've picked up all sorts of gadgets � none of which have set me back nearly as much as my old gym fee used to. My target was to reach 15 miles by Christmas, which I did. I've been running 13-mile runs fairly comfortably for a while and it was just a matter of making that extra effort. From now on, my training is going to start taking up considerable chunks of time � I reckon 18 miles will take a good three hours � so I've got a whole new challenge to contemplate: how to fit in such large solitary expeditions while staying on top of work and my social life. But I know I can't give up, because I'll be letting too many people down. It's almost as if I have my very own personal trainer � and that's something I could never afford. ALICE-AZANIA JARVIS http://www.justgiving.com/ alicerunsthemarathon
Exercise games
Combining video games with exercise must be brilliant for the nation's waistlines, right? Actually, there isn't much evidence that they really help shift the flab, but they are a move in the right direction. "They are fantastic in getting inactive people active, as a first step on the ladder," says Punsheon. Mintel's report reveals that 44 per cent of people who say they "don't participate in sport or exercise" do use Nintendo's Wii fit game. The fusing of fun with fitness has proved hugely popular � Wii fit is now the third-most successful game of all time. "Personally, I really like the Wii fit. It's like a personal trainer in your own house, and there's no doubt that you do exercise to a beneficial level," says Jackson at FitPro, although he adds that "you have to be quite dedicated". The technology is continuing to develop alongside our appetite for home exercise. Wii fit plus, Nintendo's latest offering, comes in at about �80 with a balance board, while the EA Active personal trainer programme costs around �25. Dance Dance Revolution (around �40 with mat) lets you get your groove on, while Just Dance (�25) promises dance-offs against your mates. Gamercize offer fitness accessories for the PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Wii. Paying out �90 gets you a choice of portable exercise machines which link up with the games console. Stop pedalling and the game is paused, making it an ideal way to force gaming addicts to keep moving!
Difficulty: ** Cost: While games cost around �25, special equipment � and the console itself � are pricier Benefits: fun and sociable; good for exercisephobes; less likely to get boring Downsides: Not necessarily an intense workout
Yoga
Yoga classes have long been a popular alternative to the gym, but yoga is home-friendly too. "It is perfectly possible to do yoga at home, as long as you've got a bit of knowledge and understanding," says Simon Low, a yoga teacher and trainer. "But if you're brand-new to it, you may find you're doing things in a way that is less effective or even harmful." He suggests getting taught the basics properly. Yoga classes often don't require membership so and are suited to these thrifty times. There is a wealth of yoga books and DVDs, and all the equipment you really need is a yoga mat. "Do it first thing in the morning, before you eat or get distracted," says Low. "Do two or three mornings in a row. Don't force yourself to do it every day. You'll soon feel so fantastic you'll have a magnetic pull to doing it the other days too." "Yoga is not just a physical practice," adds Low. "People can get very inspired at this time of the year to go about making changes for the better. There are yoga books that can give you that wider inspiration � I'd recommend Bringing Yoga to Life by Donna Farhi, a wonderful book."
Difficulty: *** Cost: Free if you know the basics; about �30 for equipment/books/DVDs; lessons are about �5-�15 Benefits: Improves flexibility, strength and posture; easily becomes part of your routine Difficulties: Basic experience is required first.
Indoor games: if Wii, left, isn't for you, then yoga is perfect for practising at home, as long as you have some basic training GETTY
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Cover story Independent Life
Online training
The possibilities for online fitness training are huge: there are gadgets that track your exercise and weight loss online (Fitbug); personal trainers (Lucozade Sport has a good freebie option); motivational lifestyle coaches (Pete Cohen); and banks of training videos and illustrations (NetFit, Monkey Bar Gym). For people who find gyms a bit bewildering, online personal trainers can help keep your home-fitness regime on the right track, making sure you really challenge yourself and keep motivated. Cat Dugdale set up Superchick, a website specifically for women: "I think women are more intimidated by gyms. They're often not sure that they're doing the right thing. Men are happy to just try and bench-press a million! Our site provides information so girls know they're doing the right exercise in the right way." Jackson warns that you should check out online trainers' qualifications: he recommends using people who are on the Register of Exercise Professionals. The personal trainer Klerck, who has his own online training site at www.ray klerck.com, agrees: "Use people who have a proven track record and have a solid fitness pedigree behind their name. "Look for trainers offering bespoke workouts that can be tailored to your needs, circumstances and unique body type. These sites can offer you a wealth of information from excellent Women are coaches based all over intimidated by the world, which if gyms � they're were not for the internet, would be othernot sure they're wise impossible unless doing it right" you wanted to jump on a plane."
Difficulty: **** Cost: Some sites are free; others have a monthly rate, usually between �10 and �25 Benefits: Bespoke service; highly motivating; varied exercise Difficulties: Remote assistance can never be as precise as in the flesh
5
TheCouchSurfer
Tim Walker `Sam Taylor-Wood and Steve McQueen always had an eye on the screen'
s there any marriage of words less enticing than "art" and "film"? It brings to mind such cinematic nonevents as two clowns jumping up and down ("Double No", Bruce Nauman, 1988); or 90 minutes of Zinedine Zidane in close-up (Zidane, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, 2006) � an experience as dissatisfying for film lovers as it was for football fans. It's bad enough being a teenage boy, without being dragged on school trips to art galleries to be shown somebody getting a blowjob in black and white ("Blow Job", Andy Warhol, 1963). So when an "artist" makes a "film", the last thing you'd expect is a straightforward biopic, let alone a biopic about one of history's most familiar rock stars. Yet last week, Sam Taylor-Wood released her debut feature, Nowhere Boy, the story of the young John Lennon. In the Eighties, many dynamic filmmakers came from TV commercials, among them Alan Parker, Adrian Lyne and Ridley Scott. Some of the most interesting Hollywood pictures of the past decade were made by former music video directors, like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Jonathan Glazer. Now there's a new source of emerging directorial talent: Britain's art scene. In 2008, Taylor-Wood's fellow YBA Steve McQueen made the acclaimed Hunger. No doubt Nowhere Boy, too, will attract its fair share of Bafta nominations, if only for its magnetic central performance by the director's young beau, Aaron Johnson. McQueen and TaylorWood come from a world that would have been seen as decidely non-mainstream until Charles Saatchi turned Damien Hirst et al into celebrities. Thanks to Saatchi � an adman, of course � a wellknown YBA is now almost as commercial a proposition as a pop promo director. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, to find them making arthouse-crossover movies, just as Jonze and Gondry did with Being John Malkovich or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: challenging, innovative films that nonetheless found a popular audience. When they did video work as artists � such as McQueen's Turner Prize-winning "Deadpan" from 1997, or Taylor-Wood's tabloidfriendly 2004 film of David Beckham sleeping, "David" � the two new directors might reasonably have been thought of as aspiring Naumans or Warhols. As it turns out, they each had at least one eye on the silver screen.
I
Store-cupboard fitness
What if you don't want to spend any money at all? While glossy adverts, hi-tech gear and shinylooking gym complexes seem to tell us that's an impossibility, many of our experts recommended starting with the ultimate free bit of kit: your own body. "Try doing without equipment at first; use your own body weight," recommends Doyle. Situps, crunches, lunges and squats are all simple but effective exercises that cost nothing � look online for basic techniques. "Body weight exercises are so simple, but most people just don't do them. If you mix them up, you actually get a really good workout," explains Punsheon. "In the last two or three years, the fitness industry has gone back to basics, realising you don't necessarily need any additional weights." But once you've lost that mince-pie podge and need a little more resistance, instead of splashing out on posh equipment you can think of simply raiding your kitchen cupboards � but not to sustain your chocolate habit. Large water bottles or cans of baked beans, tomato soup or other foods can act as weights; use a humble household chair for tricep dips, twists and tougher squats; instead of spending �50 on the branded steps you have seen in aerobics classes try using, you know, a normal step. "People laugh, but if you use a tin of beans and try standing with your arms out, you will feel it," says Doyle. Dugdale points out that cleaning activities can become workouts. See vacuuming as a chance to "give your carpets and your legs a going over at the same time, lunging with each motion," she suggests, and banish those bingo wings with bath-scrubbing.
Difficulty: As hard as you make it Cost: Free Benefits: Work at your pace in your space; no financial commitment or equipment needed Downsides: It's easy to just not bother
Tracey Emin, too, has made a feature film, Top Spot (2004). And one of the most remarkable, brilliant arthouse-crossovers of recent years, 2007's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, was made by the visual artist Julian Schnabel. It's striking that each of these filmmakers chose to work in one of the most traditional of Hollywood genres, the biopic. Nowhere Boy, as previously mentioned, is about Lennon; Hunger is about the slow death of IRA hunger-striker Bobby Sands; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is based on the short memoir of paralysed Parisian magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby. Schnabel's two other films, Basquiat (1996) and Before Night Falls (2000), are also biopics � of the New York artist Jean Basquiat and Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas respectively. McQueen recently signed up to make a movie about Fela Kuti, the father of Afrobeat. Emin's film was, naturally, about herself. And in its way, even Zidane was a biopic. It showed in intimate detail the
`A well-known YBA is now almost as commercial a proposition as a pop promo director'
things that really ought to interest the footballer's followers: his silky skills, and that dangerous temper. Like the music videos that gave Jonze, Gondry or Glazer their proving ground, "specialist" "art" "films" are rarely as narrative-led as the standard chronological plod of a cinema biopic, so each artist was primed to undermine the genre's conventions. Hence each subject gets decidely offbeat treatment. Taylor-Wood's film, for instance, features not a single Beatles song. She and McQueen are also beneficiaries of the rise of the "slash career". Fame in one field is enough to be accepted in another: they are artists-slash-filmmakers just as Ethan Hawke is an actor-slashnovelist, Nick Cave a musicianslash-screenwriter-slash-novelist, or Peaches Geldof a model-slashDJ-slash-entrepreneur. Many film directors have been known to dabble in fine art, after all: Terry Gilliam, Ridley Scott, Peter Greenaway. And as has been mentioned in the press coverage for Avatar, James Cameron � the most macho of all directors, and creator of perhaps the most unlikely "art" "film" of the year � also paints.
6
Independent Life
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Virginia Ironside's
Dear Virginia,
Dilemmas
tional (if you can do it) way: "Look, it's all been wonderful. But time is running out and I know you're not in the settling down business � which I am � so I'm afraid I've got to look after number one. I've had a great time with you, but the biological clock is ticking and it's telling me it's time to move on. Why don't we have a final fling in Paris?" This way you're showing you're in control of the situation, which is always attractive, and by making a date in the future � even if it's only a fortnight away � will give him time to ponder his position. Don't assume that in Paris � or wherever you go � he'll fall to his knees and deliver to you a ring in a box, but secretly he'll certainly consider the option if he knows that this really is the last time he'll see you. But I'm afraid, Evelyn, that the chances of his wanting to take things further are actually very remote. So don't hold your breath. And when you're in Paris have a look around. You never know � there might be a nice French bloke just waiting for you. must be pretty strong, so carrying on in the hope you can turn him around on the idea may lead to a lot of unhappiness on both sides, however much you feel that you love him now.
DAVE JONES
I met a man nine months ago and we started a relationship. He is 45 and I'm 30. He's always made it very clear that he is never going to get married and settle down, and doesn't want children, but we are so happy together and I am completely in love for the first time in my life. I feel I should broach the subject of taking things further, but I'm so frightened he'll back off. I feel he can't have meant what he said. What can I do? Best wishes, Evelyn
H
as it occurred to you, Evelyn, that one of the things you love about this man is his very unavailability? Have you tried to imagine what it would be like were he suddenly to start sending you flowers and begging you to move in with him? Are you absolutely certain you'd adore him quite as much as you do now? Could you cope with the soppy poetry, the endless texting, the goggle-eyed mooniness that goes with a man in love? Anyway, did you not hear his words properly, words that he spelled out pretty clearly to you before he started this relationship with you? Haven't you wondered why he hasn't settled down before now... and why he bothered to clarify his situation so emphatically at the beginning? Most people don't go around announcing this quirk in their character. The reason he's told you what he's like is because he has enough self-knowledge � and, to be fair, concern for your feelings � to know that this is how he is. You don't go around saying this sort of thing unless you've got a string of weeping women in your past, who've accused you of leading them up the garden path. At least, now he's older, he knows to try to cover himself by announcing in advance that he is unpindownable. If you even mention the phrase "taking things further" in so much a whisper, this man will be off as quickly as a rabbit in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. You won't be able to see him for dust. The only way you might, just might, be able to get him to move a millimetre closer to you, and I'm not promising anything, is to move further away. If I were you I'd simply say, in a very matter-of-fact, unemo-
professional treatment will ever be able to reach the roots of. Have fun with him but expect at some point to be seriously hurt, or walk away and look for an emotionally mature man to make you happy.
R AITKEN
By email
READERS SAY...
His feelings are clear
Evelyn, you've got to confront him and assess how serious he is about his no-marriage, no-children standpoint, and try to find the reasons for his views. But at 45 he is unlikely to change them now, and you should be prepared for that. Don't carry on in the hope he will change, for as we get older our views tend to become more entrenched, not less. If he's got this far in life and avoided marriage and children his opinions on the subject
��� You have three options
Which part of "he is never going to get married and settle down, and doesn't want children" does Evelyn not understand? She went into this relationship with her eyes wide open, and now has three options: walk away and try to find another love who does want all that she does; tell her boyfriend how she feels and, possibly, watch him run for his life; or wait and hope that domestic bliss with her will make him change his mind. What she must not do is nag or get pregnant without him knowing � either of which will end the relationship on a very sour note.
JOHN GRESHAM
By email
��� Think very carefully
Fifteen years may not seem much of an age gap � but you are still young, and you may find that towards the end of your 30s your bodyclock will be chiming loudly. When he is 50, he will not have changed his views � and he won't want a house full of nappies! At the moment, he is controlling the relationship. He has the best of both worlds � an adoring younger woman, and freedom from responsibilities. I always thought that I had no maternal instincts, and went out of my way to find men who didn't want children. Now I am in my late 50s, I have no children, and no hope of grandchildren. I face a very lonely old age, with no family to visit, nor young grandchildren to keep me young. I suggest you think very carefully before deciding on this man for the rest of your life. If you don't marry, then you can walk away at any time � possibly into the arms of a man who will adore you, and want to share the joy of children with you. Otherwise you may find that in your 50s, you have an elderly man to care for, and no help or support from any children. Don't throw your life away on someone who is seemingly so self-centered. He is free to choose not to marry and have no children � but you must make up your own mind.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
NEXT WEEK'S DILEMMA
Dear Virginia,
I've met a man I love very much. He's charming, my friends think he's gorgeous, and he never lets me pay for anything. But occasionally, if I don't want to do what he wants, he can turn quite nasty. Afterwards he always apologises. He isn't friends with any of his exes. He's also had trouble in a couple of jobs, which he says wasn't his fault. He's asked me to move in with him, but I want live with the nice person he is really, not the nasty one he is occasionally. What should I do? ____
YOURS SINCERELY, JUNE
Waterloo, Merseyside
What would you advise June to do? Email your dilemmas and comments to dilemmas@independent.co.uk, or go to independent.co.uk/dilemmas. Anyone whose advice is quoted will receive a Belgian Chocolate Selection by Amelie Chocolat (www.ameliechocolat.co.uk)
��� You're going to be hurt
If a man gets involved with the proviso that you can only ever expect a low level of commitment he is not playing games, he is not playing hard to get, he is in his own way being completely honest with you. Should you proclaim your undying love and try to (in his opinion) tie him down, you will not see him for dust. The first thing to remember is you are completely normal, what you want is part of a normal happy relationship. Unfortunately your love has his own issues with commitment, which only
As If ... Is away
Days Like These
4
JANUARY 1836
SIR JOHN GLADSTONE, plantation owner, British politician, and father of Prime Minister Gladstone, writes: "I met with an accident here about three weeks ago, which confined me to the house, from which I am now recovering, and hope in a few days to be able to return to Edinburgh; this will account to you for using my son's pen for writing in place of my own. I observe by a letter which he
To see more cartoons by Sally Ann Lasson, go to www.sallyannlasson.com.
received a few days ago from Mr. Arbuthnot, that he was sending a considerable number of a certain class of Bengalees, to be employed as labourers, to the Mauritius. "You will probably be aware that we are very particularly situated with our Negro apprentices in the West Indies, and that it is a matter of doubt and uncertainty how far they may be induced to continue their services on the plantations after their apprenticeship expires in 1840. This to us is a subject of great moment and deep interest in the colonies of Demerara and Jamaica. "We are therefore most desirous to obtain and introduce labourers from
other quarters, and particularly from climates something similar in their nature. Our plantation labour in the field is very light; much of it, particularly in Demerara, is done by task-work, which for the day is usually completed by two o'clock in the afternoon, giving to the people all the rest of the day to themselves. "They are furnished with comfortable dwellings and abundance of food; plantains, the produce of the colony, being the most common, and preferred generally by them; but they have also occasionally rice, Indian corn, meal, ship's biscuits, and a regular supply of salt cod-fish, as well as the power of
fishing for themselves in the trenches. "It is of great importance to us to endeavour to provide a portion of other labourers, whom we might use as a set-off, and, when the time for it comes, make us, as far as it is possible, independent of our negro population; and it has occurred to us that a moderate number of Bengalees might be very suitable for our purpose ... A portion of them, at least one-half, should be married, and their wives disposed to work in the field as well as they themselves. We should require to bind them for a period not less than five years or more than seven years." COMPILED BY JAMIE MERRILL
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Independent Life
7
Road to nowhere
So you think you're a bit of a whizz behind the wheel? Rob Sharp did � until he had the chance to retake the driving test he passed 12 years ago
Mirror, signal, manoeuvre: Rob Sharp (left of main picture) with his examiner, Peter Rodger of the Institute of Advanced Motoring SUSANNAH IRELAND
am slumped in a Rover estate car in west London, going nowhere. My grip on the steering wheel is so tight that my knuckles are draining of blood as I look at the road in front of me and click on the indicator. I jerk the car into motion. It stalls yet again. I get it going, only to judder into third gear instead of first. The engine snarls. So do I. It's safe to say that half-way through my driving test things are not proceeding as planned. The need to clamp down on dangerous driving is greater than ever. In late December the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, announced that planned legislation could see dangerous drivers face a maximum penalty of five years in
I
prison instead of the present two. "Dangerous driving contributes to the seven deaths that occur on British roads every day," Straw said. "It is vital that the Government remains committed to continuing to tackle the menace of dangerous driving." Against this backdrop, a motoring charity, the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM), based in Chiswick, London provides lessons and examinations for older drivers. I had decided to give my skills a polish by retaking my driving test in the form of a "special assessment" � a driving-testlike examination that scrutinises people's driving styles in the hope that they can kill their bad habits instead of pedestrians. Peter Rodger, sitting alongside me, is the IAM's chief examiner and has
ample experience of driving safely in challenging conditions in his former role as a police officer. As the car stalls, he tells me to pause for a moment � time that I wholeheartedly employ to keep swearing in extravagant ways: "Damn you and all your kin," I say, to the world in general. My self-scrutiny had begun earlier that day. I had turned up at the IAM's Chiswick base rather scared about weather reports of impending snow � which thankfully didn't materialise. I made small talk with the IAM's staff about the recently crowned Formula One champion, Jenson Button, thinking this might be on-message. They had seemed strangely uninterested. Cursing myself for forgetting my tanned sheepskin driving gloves, I had settled in behind the wheel. Propelling
the car forward by several metres, I had stalled for the first time and in frustration had inanely pumped the clutch and brake, like a seven-year-old testing a pedalo. It didn't help. Receiving the briefest of advice from Rodger, I edged the vehicle out into the side streets of Chiswick, where I proceeded to pull off a series of complex manoeuvres such as driving over the kerb, an 11-point-turn, complex cursing and forgetting to check my mirrors. Eventually, Rodger tells me to pull over so he can deliver his assessment. I'm not full of hope. "If we were running through the Driving Standards Agency test you would have failed," he says, rather kindly. "For starters, you weren't looking at your mirror enough � though that is a common fault. Most people are quite good at doing it when they are steering, but you mustn't forget to do it when you are slowing down or speeding up. It's a big problem in cycling cities like London or Bristol." He goes on to tell me what specifically I would have failed my driving test for: putting my wheel over the kerb (as I am unused to the size of the car); throwing it into the wrong gear and stalling repeatedly (mainly due to my unfamiliarity with manual transmission); and clutch control in general (much rolling back during hill-starts). "My advice would be to practice with a manual gear-change in a quiet area, until you can do it without thinking," he advises. My performance seems to be at odds with recent research from Continental Tyres, which claims that those who pass their driving tests second time around are the safest drivers. (I passed in 1997 with 12 minor faults and haven't driven with manual gears in 12 years). We retreat to the IAM HQ on the Chiswick High Road and Rodger answers a few more of my questions. He tells me � rather paradoxically considering his mission � that it is now a safer time than ever to be British motorist. The Department for Transport's most recent figures show that in 2008 there were a total of 230,905
reported casualties on Britain's roads, of all severities � 7 per cent lower than in 2007. However Rodger says there are plenty of other reasons to be vigilant. "There is a lot more traffic than there used to be," he says. "This produces other issues: for starters the amount of motorcycling in London has gone through the roof, especially because of the concessions given to them by areas like London's Congestion Charge Zone. That means we need to be more aware of what we're doing than ever." The instructor adds that because of advances in driving technology � automatic transmission, cruise control � we all have greater opportunity to survey what is happening outside our vehicles and need to alter our style of driving accordingly. He points out that I tend to focus on the area several metres in front of the bonnet (my eyesight isn't great), rather than 100 metres up the road � which is I pulled off e e manoeuvres such wo h e orn e s m as driving on the travelling at a certain kerb and doing gains an 11-point turn" pace inforuseful mation. Anyone in doubt about their skills should give the IAM a call. "I don't want to point the finger too much," he says. "But the earlier you can catch people's problems the easier it is to nip them in the bud. Then we can get them into good habits and turn them into a measured, careful driver. Our courses aren't designed to catch people out. They are just there to give you the confidence to learn independently, as your driving matures." There's no need to ask whether my driving could do with a little polishing. Lacking in practice, and suitably chastised, I make my way home using the most suitable method of transport: the bus.
For more information on advanced motoring, go to iam.org.uk
8
OASIS
Independent Life Style&Beauty
UNDERWEAR AS OUTER WEAR
Is your underwear too pret ty under wraps? Well this seas to be kept have to stay hidden, as bra on it doesn't detailing and tiny shorts tops, corsetry (or pants, who can say?) beco are they big With sales of pointy bras me outerwear. Lewis and Nineties-style soaring at John bod shelves at Marks & Spencer ies flying off the set to stay. The most dari this trend looks ng wearing a shirt unbuttoned might like to try bra, or a corset over a T-sh over a bright this could look as stylish irt, but in real life as pants over your tights � wearing your la Sup More modest options incl erwoman. lace body under a cropped ude wearing a layering a sheer lace T-sh vest or T-shirt, opting for lingerie-inspireirt over a vest, or lace trims. Oasis have alsod details such as cheat in the form of this provided a handy trompe l'oeil T-shirt by student Rosalind Kee p, a capsule collection for the who has designed store.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Trompe l'oeil dress �35, Oasis-stores.co.uk
Cheap and chic
Budgets are bound to be tight this January, but thankfully the freshest looks for the new season can be found on the high street, says Carola Long
READER OFFER
Revel in the luxury of this stunning 3.5carat smokey quartz drop pendant, crowned with 5 genuine diamonds. This magnificent semi precious stone, with its rich smokey brown tones, set in gold plated 925 sterling silver will create a million dollar look that won't break the bank at just �49.95. The matching earrings, containing 3 carats of this stunning rich brown gem with 10 diamonds, complete the look to perfection, dangling tantalizingly from easy fish hook fittings for just �59.95, saving you �20 off the RRP of �80. Buy both for �99.90 and SAVE a further �10. Exclusive to Anderson & Webb this striking collection is presented in elegant packaging, making them an ideal gift or a well deserved treat for yourself.
CANDY COLOURS
k while you can Enjoy that head-to-toe blac them sorbet because whether you callmany of this seashades or candy colours, to eat. Lemon son's hues are good enough , and cotton-wool yellow, eau de nil, mint, lilac shows, and the s pink appeared at numerou just as pretty. over high street is set to come mistaken for being However, to avoid make sure you Fifties Homemaker Barbie tly, stick to the keep the look modern. Firs of these ions very palest, lightest vers er brights, and shades, rather than E-numbes, or the kind of look for sharp modern shap at Christopher seen rebellious undercurrent dresses in innoKane and Miu Miu, where r or cutaway came with shee cent colours es with boyish elements. Try sugary shadk silk vest with separates; team a rose-pin d blazer. frien rolled-up chinos or a boy pastels with black; Watch out when pairing tan look more shades of khaki, camel and should evoke look expensive. After all, this sserie rather than an upmarket Parisian patinch Fancies. a pack of Mr Kipling's Fre
Jersey top �35; suede skirt �150; wedge shoes �99, Cosstores.com
Sophisticated Smokey Quartz
Necklace �49.95 (RRP �65), Earrings �59.95 (RRP �80)
ORDER BY PHONE: Call the Credit Card Orderline on:
01634 226781 QUOTE REF: EH7N
Order online: independentoffers.co.uk/EH7N
BY POST:
THE INDEPENDENT JEWELLERY OFFER, PO BOX 23, CHIPPING CAMPDEN, GLOS GL55 6WY
Qty Price �49.95 �59.95 �99.90 TOTAL Total � � � � Please send me Smokey Quartz Necklace Smokey Quartz Earrings Buy both SAVE �10
I enclose a crossed cheque for � .......... (address on back) made payable to:The Independent Jewellery Offer, or debit my Mastercard/Visa/Delta/Switch account by this amount.
Title Address Name
BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE
Postcode Tel Email
Card number Expiry Date Signature
INM (Independent News & Media) would like to tell you about relevant new promotions, services and products, but need your permission to do so. If you would like to hear from us please tick the box. Please tick the box if you would like to hear from third party organisations who may have specific offers to make to you.
Start Date
Issue No.
Security Code
Allow 21 days from receipt of order. Price will be refunded if the item is returned undamaged and unworn within 14 days of receipt. Enquiries to 01608 663366. Your card will be debited by Lyncroft Marketing. Offer applies to UK only and is subject to availability which is finite. Independent News & Media Plc may mail or phone you with further offers. If you prefer not to receive these, please state when ordering. National call rates apply. Open seven days a week. This offer is fulfilled and supplied by Lyncroft Marketing. Lines open 7 days a week.
COS
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Style&Beauty Independent Life 9
FLORALS
You can practically smell that spring is sprouting. This season, though, there in the air when the high street starts appear on knits, skirts, tops and even is more to florals than frocks, as blooms than in a packet of mixed seeds, with jeans. There's more variety in this trend scattered meadow flowers, prize roses, impressionistic dabs and photograph ic prints all making an appearance. Topshop has embraced the trend enthu im skirts and cardigans decorated with siastically, with cotton crop-tops, denbright bouquets that wouldn't look out Forties-style spriggy patterns and big, isn't a slavishly retro look, so keep it of place on a pair of 1950s curtains. This mode elements such as denim shorts or rolled rn by mixing florals with androgynous more sexy than previous versions; forgetjeans. This season's take is also much few years ago and look for sheer chiffo the girlish tea and prom dresses of a breeze, structured silk shifts as seen ns that float around the body like a gentle at surely have made Laura Ashley blush Erdem, or tiny spriggy shorts that would .
BANANA REPUBLIC
TOPSHOP
ReadytoWear
Susannah Frankel
s.frankel@independent.co.uk
SPORTS LUXE
Good news for anyone in a post slough of dishevelment. The -Christmas of January, namely tracksui official uniform been elevated to high-fash t trousers, has Tailored sweatpants are ion statement. the manifestation of the spor most literal swept the catwalks with ts luxe trend that all Federer forehand. Alexand the force of a the varsity look with grey er Wang worked gym sheer silk tracksuit trousers knickers and preted extreme sports deta , Gucci reintermore minimal take on the ils while Prada's cycling shorts in techno theme featured fabr Republic have come to the ics. Banana overindulged with the putt aid of the trousers pictured, featurin y-coloured silk detail � a drawstring wais g � oh happy white blazer and vest, thist. Paired with a has American feel that couldn't an uptown be further away from Vicky Pollard's hot pink tracksuit.
Floral cardigan �32; denim shorts �28; shoes �70; socks �3; scarf (in hair) �16, 0845 121 4519
FRILLS
s, sharp shoulAfter a season of hard edge ion is rediscovfash ders and tough textures, spring/summer, ering its feminine side for est trend of and frills are surely the girlia ruffle � la Dolce them all. Whether it's a ra-r e, as seen at wav & Gabbana, a sculptural fabrics in ViennetLanvin, or bright dappled McCartney, there la ta-like ripples like at Stel get their cheap are ways for everyone to high street. frills on the sion for CinderelThose of us with no occa er to mix it up a pref la-like confections might im jacket over a bit by layering a faded denmore casual edge, frilled dress for a tougher, skirt (Cos have or wearing a tiered chiffonemark minimalist branched out of their trad chiffon) with a look with a version in lilac American plain grey marl T-shirt from Apparel.
GAP
Crinkled satin blazer �98; tank top �17; drawstring trousers �75; brown straw clutch �45; peep toe wooden clogs �69, 020 7758 3550
DENIM
Distressed denim is still around for and spring/summer thanks to Balmain � a Topshop Unique � but it's also been given tieslighter touch. Stella McCartney's Seven res encapsustyle A-Line skirts and pinafo -ons lated a softer aesthetic than the spray to. we've all become surgically attached high on the Gap is denim's spiritual home street, so it's hardly surprising that the denchain is offering everything from a pale the im biker jacket to indigo wedges and ska, pleat-front jean (left). Anita BorzyszkowInc Vice President of Public Relations, Gap says, "I love the idea of mixing different new shades of denim and pairing interesting ng silhouettes. I'm looking forward to weari shade our new pleat-front jeans in a darker astof denim with the biker jacket in a contr pale blue denim. Mixing the ing but tonal nal, two finishes gives the denim a very perso individual feeling." Also look out for denim knot them � and keep your shirts � its ok to jeans up with a tan leather belt.
ew year, new fashion resolutions. Yes, yes, I know I do this every January � don't we all? � but this time, it's serious. First and foremost: I will buy something that isn't black. Strange but true, even my monochromatic heart was set all aflutter by a Lanvin rose pink silk dress first seen in the showroom immediately following the unveiling of the spring/summer collection. Admittedly, it's muted � faded, perhaps, in a cottage garden way � but I have to start somewhere. If that doesn't work... there's always grey. In fact, I also wear blue, that's blue jeans, almost every day. I hereby resolve to stop buying them though. True, there is barely a fashion-interested woman on earth who isn't constantly in search of the perfect pair but I now own two pairs of boyfriend jeans, four pairs of blue skinnies, two pairs of grey ones and, er, three pairs of black ones. Clearly, this needs to stop. Next, a friend who will remain nameless argues that I will never � ever � be taken seriously as a fashion editor until I start wearing heels. This, it should be pointed out, is also a woman who falls I wear blue over regularly in hers jeans constantly but says it doesn't actually matter just so but hereby long as there's someresolve to stop one there to pick her up again. Despite the buying them" fact that this isn't the most convincing of arguments I have spent the last six months staggering around the Prada shop floor in the best high-heeled ankle boots only to lose my nerve at the last minute and leave without them. In 2010 I will finally take the plunge. Please help me out if you find me flat on my back in the Bond Street area. More fashion-y is my tendency to wear summer shoes in the winter. People with an even remotely practical dress sense positively wince when they see me padding around in the frost in pumps (paper flat ones, of course) with no socks and, admittedly, it's no joke: by the end of the day, my feet feel like they might well drop off. So, now, when I'm not in my heels, I will wear Church's brogues or knee-high black leather riding boots until the temperature rises. I will also wear a skirt, a pencil skirt, an Yves Saint Laurent high-waisted one (pictured) which is more Belle de Jour than is usual for my rather less ladylike taste but that's precisely the reason for committing to it. In a similar vein, I will no longer only carry a bag the size of a small suitcase every day. Having spent years dragging my worldly possessions wherever I go, henceforward my bag will be no bigger than a Chanel 2.55 and anything that doesn't fit in it will simply be left at home. A dislocated shoulder isn't fashionable, after all.
N
ASOS
Ruffled dress �100; shoe boots �110, Asos.com
Denim biker jacket �45; pleat front jeans �45, 0800 427 789
u
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
To read more columns by Susannah Frankel, go to independent.co.uk/fashion
10 Independent Life Style&Beauty
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Back to beauty school
Is your hair and make-up stuck in a rut? Revitalise your routine with expert lessons and insider hints
READER OFFER
HAIRSTYLING LESSON
I've been in a tonsorial time warp, flattening and straightening my hair to within a cuticle of its life as if the Nineties had never ended. That's why I was keen to try one of the Style For Me sessions at Percy & Reed, to vary the look with modern techniques. Hairstylist Adam Reed, (above) who does Diane Kruger's hair, promises to be realistic about what customers can achieve at home. He decided that I needed to bring myself into this century with a bit of body and texture but nothing too tricky � to recreate myself. His tips were simple, but (hopefully) achievable. He advised me on how to apply styling cream under and through my hair, rather than just slathering a handful on top in a lava-like slick. He never blasts hairspray straight on; it goes onto the brush and is then buffed into hair. He explained that different brushes can smooth and shape the hair as you blow dry � although he admitted that coordinating two hands takes a while to perfect. His most simple tip of all was to sit down while drying, thus avoiding tiredness and trip-hazards. Genius. He demonstrated how I could get more volume at the crown and then pin it for a dishevelled up-do. He also created a bouncy, shiny yet tousled look and then showed me how to restyle it with a quick brush or rub with my hands. From serious to sexy and back again in seconds.
Siobhan Toman tried a Shu Uemura Style for Me session, available nationwide and at Percy & Reed, 157C Great Portland Street, London W1, 020 7637 4634, from �55
MAKE-UP MASTERCLASS
My hair is naturally dark blonde, but I haven't revealed my true colours, so to speak, for around 13 years. My highlighted blonde hair became my trademark and I didn't realise how much colour mattered until I went brunette last month. Suddenly my usual dark eye make-up looked wrong, so I panicked, then booked a lesson with Lauren Hersheson (above right). A make-up artist with an impressive CV of session work and catwalk shows, she told me where I was going wrong straight away. She advised me to get rid of my much-loved black liner and go for a softer kohl liner in brown, and softer brown shadow colours, which will make people notice my eyes rather than my make-up. What I enjoyed most, and the reason I would recommend anyone having a make-up lesson � hair change or not � was the explanation of how to apply the products. You are also given a personalised card with product recommendations and a diagram, and even taken round the beauty counter at Harvey Nichols afterwards for help with beauty buys. I'm usually a five-minute kind of girl in the mornings, but I have incorporated some of what I learnt into a new daily routine. I've toned down the bronzer, invested in good quality brushes, eye shadows and primer, and I'm reluctantly putting my black eyeliner down. At least until I'm blonde once again.
Gemma Hayward had a lesson with Lauren Hersheson, in-house make-up artist at Daniel Hersheson, Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, London SW1, 020 7201 8789, �150
Cat Insurance 12 months' cat insurance
for the price of 11
Three levels of cover available, giving up to �1,000, �3,000 or �5,000 vets' fees cover for each illness and injury Cover available for cats more than eight weeks old, prices from �3.35 per month** Cattery fees are covered if you need to stay in hospital (Silver and Gold policies only, limits apply) Treatment following a road traffic accident can cost more than �1,000* Petwise will continue to cover all new illness and injuries, up to the policy limit, with no time limit as long as you continue to renew your policies and payments are kept up to date^
#
FACIAL MASSAGE GUIDE
After much comparing of different facials, I've come to the conclusion that it isn't lotions and potions which give that fresh glow; it's the massage. Excited by my empirical research, I attempted some haphazard DIY facial pummelling, before deciding this could do more harm than good. Enter Beata Aleksandrowicz (above) a massage specialist and strong believer in the power of facial massage to boost circulation, firm muscles and slow ageing. In one of her personalised tutorials she showed me a simple 10-minute facial massage routine which I could do once a week to tone and tighten my complexion. She demonstrated movements which were ostensibly simple but needed just the right pressure, then corrected my technique as I copied her. The overall effect was noticeable: tighter skin and more defined contours around the jaw and cheekbones. I plan to go back for one or two further sessions, to learn some more fancy moves.
Carola Long had a 60-minute massage lesson with Beata Aleksandrowicz at Pure Massage, Fulham, 3-5 Vanston Place, London SW6. 020 7381 8100, �125
Call: 0844 335 0309
Maximum call charge from a BT landline is 5p per minute, calls from other networks may vary. Please check with your network operator. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded. Opening times 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday. *Source: claims received by Petwise year-on-year between 2003 and 2008. **At least 10 per cent of customers paid �3.35 a month or less for their cat insurance based on Bronze cover in 2008. #12 months' cover for the price of 11 discount will be given equivalent to 1 1/12 of the premium. If paying by instalments the premium is payable over 12 months. ^Pre-existing conditions or conditions arising within the first 10 days of a policy starting are excluded.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Style&Beauty Independent Life 11
CATWALKING
TIPS FROM THE TOP
The hair and make-up artists behind our shoots share their secrets with The Independent's stylist Gemma Hayward
HAIR
Richard Scorer, hair stylist My top three products Boots' own-label mousse, the strongest they have in store. It gives the hair real guts and holds a style, but doesn't go white and powdery. Use loads and loads. Batiste dry shampoo (right) freshens up your hair and creates texture and body. Kerastase Ciment Thermique is the best smoothing blow-dry product I have come across. My latest discoveries Permanent blow drys really do work if you want to smooth out frizzy hair. Harrington's salons do a great one. The most common mistakes Many people wash their hair too much, which removes the oil and dries it out. Not thinking about the long-term effects of colour, even though it's a chemical process that will change the structure of the hair. Not allowing hair to cool down when blow drying. The cooling process sets the shape almost as much as the heat. Oliver de Almeida, hair stylist My top three products L'Oreal "fix design" tecni.art spray. Hair powder. Dior Homme Dermo System (left) for grooming. My latest discoveries I love the Kiss My Face line. Most common mistakes When people don't know when to stop styling their hair. Often half-done in fact feels so much nicer. Claire Rothstein, hair stylist My top three products A strong hairdryer, strong-hold hairspray and a pair of GHD irons (below). I know technically these are electricals and not products, but everyone should have them. giving a gorgeous skin-kissed glow with no trace of orange or pink, and suits all fair and medium complexions. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream is a key make-up artist's product. It's often used over eyes and skin for a sexy, wet-looking gloss, but it can also be used on chapped lips, dry patches of skin, cracked heels and sunburn. My latest discoveries I have become slightly obsessed with Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes High Precision Panoramic Mascara (right), as the spherical brush means you can apply mascara right in at the root. The formulation is fantastic and you get great pull along the individual lashes, resulting in longer, thicker lashes with fewer coats of mascara. The most common mistakes Wearing too much orange or muddy fake tan which often wears off in patches and is just so low-rent. It's my pet hate! Often women buy foundation that is way too dark for them, as that is the colour they want to be. The appeal with sun-kissed skin and real tans is that healthy glow, but thick make-up or fake-bake looks dull and lifeless as well as orange. Aly Hazlewood, make-up artist and blogger, thetruthaboutbeauty.wordpress.com My top three products Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm for the eyes and lips (left). Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation, Lancome Oscillation mascara. My latest discoveries Guerlain's Cupidon lip pencil is brilliant. It highlights the Cupid's bow and makes the lips look instantly fuller. The most common mistakes Putting blusher too low on the cheeks; it's very ageing. And not combing mascara through, because then it looks all claggy. Claudine Henderson, make-up artist My top three products Fluid Line eyeliner in Black by Mac (below) Eye & Brow Prisme powder by Givenchy. Homeoplasmine cream by Laboratoires Boiron. (multi-use cream for chapped lips, rashes, burns, irritations, cuticles etc). My latest discoveries Cream eye shadow by Shu Uemura in taupe. This is a great, long-lasting colour for all skin tones, with a hint of shimmer. The most common mistakes Using Touche Eclat as a concealer when actually it's a light reflector to be used after concealer or, if you have younger skin, after a little foundation. To put this in the correct area, put your chin down onto your chest, while looking up into a mirror. You will see exactly where to apply as an indentation or blueish line will appear under the eye. Cover this line with Touche Eclat and you will look naturally concealed, to the eye as well as on film.
My latest discoveries Tasai Cream by Shu Uemura Art of Hair. Just stick it in the hair, then blow dry for a casual messy texture. The most common mistakes Applying hair-styling products from roots to ends, because it makes hair greasy. Always apply ends to roots. Derek Lamb, spring/summer 2010
MAKE-UP AND SKINCARE
Jo Frost, make-up artist and contributing beauty editor at Glass magazine, glassmagazine.com My top three products Shu Uemura eyelash curlers � the originals and still the best. They give a beautiful, natural curl to lashes, open up the eye and give a youthful lift. Armani's Sheer Bronzer in Brown Sand is the best bronzing blush on the market,
READER OFFER
Magimix 4200 Food Processor
From only �189.99
n n
(inc. p&p)
Receive two free discs and cover (worth �46.95)
Magimix food processors are the choice of professional chefs and a favourite with keen cooks everywhere. Designed to make food preparation easy, this Magimix 4200 food processor has several fantastic features that make it easy to use, including a powerful quiet induction motor. The Magimix 4200 (soup capacity 1.3 litres) is ideal for liquidising, chopping, slicing or kneading. It also comes with a citrus press that is easy to use and clean, plus a main blade and egg whisk for improved performance. Also included are an extra large 3 litre shatterproof Lexan bowl, mini and midi bowl, stainless steel Sabatier blades and discs, bakery dough blade and spatula, and a recipe book with over 100 delicious recipes. Each machine comes with the unique Magimix 12 Year Motor and 3 Year Parts Guarantee.
n
n
n
Choose from the below models:
4200 white for just �189.99 4200 chrome for just �199.99 4200 satin for just �229.99
ORDER BY PHONE: Call the Credit Card Hotline on:
BY POST: INDEPENDENT MAGIMIX 4200 FOOD PROCESSOR OFFER (IND06),
PO BOX 250, ROCHESTER, KENT ME1 9AJ
I enclose a crossed cheque for � .......... (address on back) made payable to:Independent Reader Offers, or debit my Mastercard/Visa/Delta/Switch account by this amount. BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE Title Name
0845 166 4222
QUOTE REF: IND06
Max call charge 4p/minute from BT Lines (24hrs/7days). Other networks may vary.
Please send me Magimix 4200 Food Processor - White Magimix 4200 Food Processor - Chrome Magimix 4200 Food Processor - Satin
Qty
Price �189.99 �199.99 �229.99 Total
Total
Address
To order online visit
Postcode Tel Email
www.independentoffers.co.uk
Mastercard/Visa welcome. Allow up to 21 days for delivery. We deliver to UK mainland addresses only. For overseas orders, call for postage quotation. Subject to availability. If not satisfied return unused within 7 days for a full refund. Independent News and Media Limited. Registered in England No. 1908967. Offer supplied and fulfilled by Timscris Reader Offers.
Card number
INM (Independent News & Media) would like to tell you about relevant new promotions, services and products, but need your permission to do so. If you would like to hear from us please tick the box.
Expiry Date
Signature
Start Date
Issue No.
Security Code
Please tick the box if you would like to hear from third party organisations who may have specific offers to make to you.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Style&Beauty Independent Life 13
e Th n Te st Be
Adidas
Women's trainers
CHOSEN BY LOUISE RYTTER
independent.co.uk/indybest
Lanvin
zYou'd be hard-pressed not to fall head over heels in love with these flannel high-tops by Lanvin. Alber Elbaz is a master of highly luxurious casual chic and these are no exception. An indulgence, sure, but made from some the most sumptuous fabrics ever seen in sportswear. Price: �335 Net-a-porter.com
rThese high-top trainers combine a sporty, street feel with a feminine satin finish, so they're a glamorous option for those who don't like trying too hard. They're also a sensible-on-thesly pick for the more practical among us � if you're a diehard trainer wearer, you'll want as much support as possible, which is an advantage of a high top. Price: �60 Office.co.uk
Converse
NAvailable in limited edition black patent leather, these Converse All-Stars could definitely pass for a more formal style of shoe. They're a toned-down alternative to this season's difficult hipster trend, the brothel creeper. Team with slim-fitting, black trousers for an up-to-date look. Price: �55 Net-a-porter.com
Puma
NWith designer Hussein Chalayan at the helm of Puma as creative director, the brand has made a name for itself with its innovative use of sports technology, not to mention � of course � a futuristic design aesthetic. These Velcro fastening high-tops feel both sci-fi and a bit Eighties, with their go-faster stripes picked out in vibrant pink. Price: �55 Office.co.uk
Lacoste
zThese sleek trainers are made from soft and supple black leather. A streamlined shape means they're perfect for wearing with skinny jeans, and their spongey soles will provide solid support if you're the sort that is always on your feet. Price: �40 Lacoste.com
Onitsuka Tiger
zIf you're aching for the sort of can-do fitness finesse evinced by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, you'd do worse than to grab a pair of Onitsuka Tigers. Thurman's iconic yellow ones might be a bit much, but this tasteful grey version is the sort of shoe that even people who don't like wearing trainers will like. Price: �60 Onitsukatiger.com
Topshop
zEveryone needs a humble lace-up pump in their repertoire. These canvas ones are sturdy enough to work with jeans right now, but delicate enough to look great loosely laced with skirts and shorts when it gets a little warmer. And they're a bargain, so you can grab a pair for each day of the week. Price: �15 Topshop.com
Superga
NSuperga is the latest lifestyle and footwear brand to go a bit cult over here. Combining a sleek, urban shape with a purist approach, their shoes are unassuming. To those in the know, though, you'll be wearing one of the coolest brands around. Price: �65 Superga-usa.com
Fred Perry
zInject a bit of old-school sophistication with these burgundy plimsolls by Fred Perry � they're a nice take on plush without feeling too prissy, and they're a comfortable and lightweight everyday option that won't feel too clumpy. Price: �35 Fredperry.com
Nike
bDesperate for a bit of bling? Look no further than these chunky gold baseball boots. Known for their highly technical construction, Nike trainers offer a good fit and a range of colours to fulfil all your slam-dunking needs on court and off. Price: �60 Nikesportswear.com
14 Independent Life Arts
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Tower of strength
The beauty of the new Salvation Army Citadel in Chelmsford lies in its striking simplicity � and in its sense of place, says Jay Merrick
A
new building in Chelmsford is the perfect riposte to the government's just-announced World Class Places strategy, a grimly spun vision portraying Britain's towns and cities as impending hotbeds of, well, world-class buildings. In a pokey little street called Baddow Road, the Salvation Army Citadel designed by Anthony Hudson is a remarkable presence specifically because it is not world class. This building is, as it should be, local class. The strangely glinting, zinc-clad building three minutes walk from the Chicago Rock Cafe and the Tottenham Hotspur supporters shop in the town centre may not obviously convey the Salvation Army's motto � "Blood and Fire" � but there's absolutely no doubt that its controversial form belongs here and only here, between the doleful automotive plainsongs echoing from the dual-carriageways of the A1099 and the Parkway that pincer the Citadel. At night, the illuminated cross cut into the slim tower in the Citadel's south facade casts an elongated, softly lucent crucifix across the tarmac of the Parkway, and drivers pass through its momentary flicker. At that precise point one night � tomorrow, or next month, or ten thousand evenings hence � a car radio will be playing the Beatles' song, "Strawberry Fields Forever", named after the Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool. And the Citadel's architecture duly recalls a wonderfully gnomic verse in that song: I mean it must be high or low That is you can't, you know, tune in But it's all right That is I think it's not too bad. The design of this �1.6m building is, indeed, slightly mysterious in terms of some of its parts; one isn't absolutely sure if its high bits should be lower, or its lower bits higher. Ultimately, though, it makes tough, pragmatic, and welcoming sense as a whole. Like Lennon's lyrics, the architectural language has a faintly odd cadence, but it's this very dissonance of form and material that stops the building from being a trickedup design icon in a dead-end street. The new Citadel acts rather like the architecture-as-billboard concept championed by the American visionary Robert Venturi, and it's certainly a vivid change from the dull 1970s building it replaces. If you walk past the largely glazed Baddow Road facade today, you'll see anything from Scouts milling around, to mother-andtoddler groups, worshippers, Salvation Army musicians or, as Major Derek Jones put it, "the lovely folk who just want to come in and sit quietly and eat their sandwiches." Those lovely folk have already taken the place to heart, despite its relative formal and material oddity in a setting that almost defies the crucial notion of
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Arts Independent Life 15
Shining example: the Citadel's southern elevation, showing the tower's colourful coating (left); cars pass the southern elevation on the Parkway dual carriageway (above); Anthony Hudson has created a practical, spacious interior (right) KEITH COLLIE/HUDSONARCHITECTS.CO.UK
architectural context. There is really nothing else of note in Baddow Road, nothing for the eye to linger on, no building forms or details that give pause for thought; this is not so much a built environment as a dishevelled locale. So, on the face of it, this is nowheresville. But that, of course, is exactly the kind of milieu that the Salvation Army's 19th-century founders, William and Catherine Booth, saw as ideal territory in which to dispense charity, deplore alcohol and social mendacity, and encourage repentance in a ritual-free environment. What the Booths began in the East End of London in 1865 has created a worldwide corps of two million "regulars", 300 of whom can now gather in the worship hall of the Chelmsford Citadel. Many of them must have thought the new Citadel strange, initially. Metallic, facades like asymmetrical stageflats, quotes from St John's gospel cut into the red cement-board of the east facade as part of a tree-of-life graphic
that looks more like an electronic circuit-board; and three of the four facades bearing no obvious relationship to one another. You might wonder how on earth this melange won the 2009 RIBA East Building of the Year award. Simple. By being blatantly subservient to the fabric of this pocket of urban junk-space � and to the Salvation Army's 21st-century need to be noticed in a more strikingly inclusive way. There's a potential design conflict, isn't there? How much easier it would have been to plonk down something like a mini-me version of Herzog and de Meuron's Laban Centre in London � a featureless, crisply translucent architectural lozenge with a big LED Salvation Army sign; none of which would have made any obvious architectural reference to anything around it. Anthony Hudson has, instead, designed a building whose outline along Baddow Road is an acknowledgement of the messily uneven facades that face
it. The southern elevation facing the dual carriageway of the Parkway is saved from the damnation of architectural muteness only by a single square window and the flaring colours of the prismatic coating on the glass skin of the tower; and the flanking eastern facade has a squared valley and ridge roof whose outline recalls a light industrial unit. Hudson has taken other design risks. One can easily imagine the main entrance facade as the front of a trendy arts cinema. Where is the imprint of evangelical fervour? Or, rather, why is the evangelical facade the one whose cross-bearing tower faces the dual carriageway rather than passers-by in Baddow Road � the only pedestrian approach to the Citadel? Inside the building, these apparent contradictions and satirical temptations evaporate into humane architectural agreement. Hudson has not been wilfully eclectic after all. He's managed to create a form, internal spaces, and
outdoor play area, whose unexpected variations are the result of the building's super-simple Austrian timber structural chassis, and the way this has allowed the Citadel's elevations to be modulated to address the urban scenes around the building with deference. It's true that Hudson might have created other equally pertinent, or even more critically engrossing architectural solutions; but his important achievement is that he has made a genuine attempt to introduce something new here, without trying to smother the workaday reality of the scene around the Citadel with an architectural power-chord. Major Jones seems particularly at ease in the big, wood-lined worship hall. "We wanted this to be an accessible place," he said. "It's not a monument on a hill, or an ornament. The great cathedrals are magnificent, but you might not want to have a cup of coffee in them. We want to get back to the
Salvation Army and the church as the centre of the community. That's what this is � a community space. The building's just a series of boxes, but very cleverly done. It's known locally as the Marmite building � you either love it, or hate it. One fellow said: `Ah, you've bought a site in Baddow Road'. `No,' we said, `we've been here 30 years, and you've never noticed the original building. But now you do!'" And so this is local-class architecture, not world-class urban wallpaper. This is Chelmsford, not Dubai. This is the Salvation Army, not gell-quiffed special forces in three-for-�75 Hawes & Curtis shirts, tracking rogue derivatives on the killing floors of Canary Wharf or Wall Street. The Citadel is a building created by a thoughtful architect for clients committed to serving their community, and to marking out their specific physical place in the community. It sounds simple enough. It isn't. Baddow Road Forever.
Roof with a view: the Citadel's irregular structure mirrors surrounding buildings (left); the play area (above); the tree-of-life on the east facade (right) KEITH COLLIE/HUDSONARCHITECTS.CO.UK
16 Independent Life Reviews
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
A new Twist to shout about
THEATRE
OLIVER TWIST/ZORRO Octagon Theatre, Bolton/ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh HHHH/HHHH
D
eborah McAndrew's new version of Oliver Twist reaches corners and characters which most adaptors of Dickens's original tale overlook. Along with the rogues' gallery of well-known grotesques there are also some fine cameos, brought to vivid life in Josette Bushell-Mingo's assured production. On a higgledy-piggledy set by Dawn Allsopp, an intriguing pop-up picture presents 19th-century London slums and chimneys in all their industrial grime. A hard-working cast of seven professional actors, making lightning transitions between characters, along with a colourful clutch of pickpockets and extras drawn from a team of 28 young people, capture Dickens's mix of grim realism and satirical commentary. The story, framed between two Christmases, opens with Oliver's mother making her way to the workhouse and giving birth. The depiction of her demise and the various other deaths, the many brutal beatings and the miserable trappings of poverty and mis-
fortune in which Oliver finds himself, are both cunningly devised and sensitively handled so as not to put off the predominantly family audience. Sanitised it may be, but not to the extent that the unromantic and sordid nature of life in Dickens's London becomes a fairytale. Oliver, a vulnerable, waif-like figure as played by Alex O'Loughlin (alternating in the role with Joseph Cullen), remains something of an outsider, an outcast drifting through each stage of his fate as it is determined by the criminals and hypocrites who people his world. Robert Pickavance makes Fagin engagingly chameleon in character, and turns out a gossipy, camp Mr Grimwig and also, in passing, a biting Justice Fang. Esther Ruth Elliott is a tender Nancy and Samantha Sutherland a sweet Aunt Rose, a character often left out but retained by McAn-
`A cast of seven professional actors, along with a colourful clutch of pickpockets, capture Dickens's mix of grim realism and social commentary'
drews. There is good work from the whole company, Tim Frances making an especially good stab at both evil Bill Sikes (whose role is downsized here) and the unscrupulous Bumble, while Andrew Price is a benign, bookish Mr Brownlow. Conrad Nelson's score, under the direction of Rebekah Hughes, manages to sound both fresh and familiar through its use of Christmas carols and fragments of English folksong. The cast plays a dizzying range of instruments and the music, in tune with the expressive and bravura performances Bushell-Mingo encourages from the actors, is seamlessly integrated into the speech as an inseparable part of the event. The show has enough of the feel of a theatrical extravaganza, the flavour of a gaudy musical and yet the intimacy of the dark social novel on which it is based to beguile all ages. Zorro, a captivating take on the masked outlaw created in 1919, has loads of appeal too. Co-produced by the Traverse Theatre and the children's company Visible Fictions, and incisively written by Davey Anderson, Zorro is a racey-pacey adventure brought vividly to life by a versatile cast. Just three actors switch between goodies and baddies, peasants and aristocrats, while voicing a horse and a parrot too. No tyrant or traitor is safe from the
Den of thieves: Robert Pickavance as an engaging Fagin in `Oliver Twist'
justice of the mysterious Zorro, who leaves his mark � a distinctive "Z" carved with his sword � on those who bully, torture, steal and threaten the lives of others. Sandy Grierson is a touchingly simple Diego, slipping with rapier-like agility into the role of master swordsman and skilled horseman Zorro, while Claire Dargo makes an appealingly feisty Isabella, whom
Zorro secretly loves. Richard Conlon doubles deftly as the dozy old Governor and the treacherous and cruel Captain Esteban. In the pulse-quickening narrative and in the accompanying cartoon-like action, scenes change with the enticing rapidity of a flick book. LYNNE WALKER
Oliver Twist: to 23 January (01204 520661)
Entertainment Listings
ALDWYCH THEATRE 0844 847 2330
to advertise call 020 7005 2253
PICCADILLY 0844 412 6666 "THE PARTY IS BACK!" Heart 106.2 FM
DIRTY DANCING
THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE Mon - Sat 7.30, Fri & Sat 3.00 DirtyDancingLondon.com AMBASSADORS 08448 112 334
DOMINION 0844 847 1775 `MAGNIFICO' The Sun
Gielgud Theatre 0844 482 5142
SAVOY THEATRE 0844 871 7687
AVENUE Q
Mon - Thu 8, Fri 5.30 & 8.30, Sat 5 & 8.30 www.avenueqthemusical.co.uk HER MAJESTY'S 0844 579 0092
LEGALLY BLONDE The Musical
Mon, Wed - Sat 7.30pm Thu, Sat 2.30pm No performance 5,10 January Legallyblondethemusical.co.uk
Trafalgar Studios 0870 060 6632 JENNY SEAGROVE HONEYSUCKLE WEEKS
WE WILL ROCK YOU
by QUEEN & BEN ELTON `UNMISSABLE' Capital Radio
GREASE
Mon-Thur 7.30, Fri 5.30 & 8.30 Sat 3 & 7.30
A DAUGHTER'S A DAUGHTER
By Agatha Christie Writing as Mary Westmacott
STOMP
Mon & Thu - Sat 8pm, Thu & Sat 3pm, Sun 3pm & 6pm
Mon-Sat 7.30, Mat Sat 2.30 www.wewillrockyou.co.uk
3
11
13%0= %" 13
NOEL SULLIVAN is Danny www.greasethemusical.co.uk Playhouse Theatre 0844 871 7627 `All the way to heaven and back!' Indy
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Eves 7.30, Mats Tue & Sat 2.30 www.ThePhantomOfTheOpera.com London Palladium 0844 412 2710 Sheila Hancock Patina Miller
B �t t� ����
/��� �fo�o�fo�� %}}o�
f��\ 3oB��oc f��\c �f� ;
�� :Bf }� !�3��� o�o�� I � �B��oo �o�}գB�\o� Ro��oo� B� w �� oR �o�\ ��� oR�
�515= 5. 3% ������
SHAFTESBURY 020 7379 5399
Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Thu & Sat 2.30pm Final Week,
DUCHESS THEATRE 0844 412 4659
APOLLO VICTORIA 0844 847 1696
WICKED
WickedTheMusical.co.uk Mon-Sat 7.30pm Wed & Sat 2.30pm
MORECAMBE
Tue - Wed 7.30 & Sat 7.30 FINAL 2 WEEKS - 17 JAN Xmas Mats - Tue Wed Sat 2.30 Thu Sun 4
NEW LONDON THEATRE 020 7452 3000 / 0844 412 4654 Mon - Sat 19.30, Tue 2pm, 7pm Thu & Sat 14.30 warhorselondon.com
No�l Coward Theatre 0844 482 5140
PALACE 0844 755 0016 Jason Donovan Tony Sheldon Oliver Thornton
DREAMBOATS & PETTICOATS
`I loved every minute' D Tel Mon-Fri 7.30pm, Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm & 8pm OPENS 7 JAN!
HAIRSPRAY
Tue - Sat 19:30, Thu/Sat/Sun 15:00 Vaudeville 0844 412 4663 Lesley Sharp Marc Warren Diana Vickers
CAMBRIDGE 0844 579 0095 Starring Ruthie Henshall as Roxie Hart
SISTER ACT
Duke of Yorks 0844 871 7623 ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
WAR HORSE
THE RISE AND FALL OF
THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE
***** Exp "Glorious fun!" D. Tel Mon-Sat 19:30, Wed & Sat 15:00 sisteractthemusical.com �25 DAY SEATS at theatre from 10am
PRISCILLA
QUEEN OF THE DESERT the musical
Mon - Sat 7.30, Thur & Sat 2.30
LITTLE VOICE
By Jim Cartwright Mon-Sat 19:30, Wed & Sat 14:30 LAST 4 WEEKS www.littlevoicewestend.com
Prince Edward Theatre 0844 482 5151
CHICAGO
chicagothemusical.co.uk COMEDY THEATRE 0844 871 7622
TWELFTH NIGHT
www.rsc.org.uk/london
THE MISANTHROPE
A version by Martin Crimp "UNMISSABLE" D. Tel Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 2.30pm Criterion Theatre 0844 847 2483 London's Funniest Comedy
LYCEUM 0844 844 0005 (bkg fee)
FORTUNE 0844 871 7626 21st TERRIFYING YEAR! Susan Hill's
The funniest show in town! LAST WEEK - DONT MISS IT! Tue-Sat 7.30, Wed, Thu & Sat 2.30
NOVELLO 0844 482 5170 Sanaa Lathan `Sensual' DT Adrian Lester `Superb' Exp Phylicia Rashad `Excellent' Gdn James Earl Jones `Stunning' Ind
CALENDAR GIRLS
JERSEY BOYS
Mon - Sat 19.30, Tues & Sat 12.30 Sunday perfs from Jan 2010 www.JerseyBoysLondon.com PRINCE OF WALES: 0844 482 5114
0844 412 2955
GRIFF RHYS JONES in
`The Best Feel-Good Show since Mamma Mia!' S. Express
www.priscillathemusical.com
OLIVER!
JODIE PRENGER as Nancy
or book online: www.thelionking.co.uk Groups 15+ 0844 847 1522 or 020 7845 0949 Disney Presents
VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE 0844 811 0055
`FANTASTIC FUN' Classic FM
PHOENIX BO/CC 0844 871 7629
Mon-Sat 7.30, Mats Wed & Sat 2.30 TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! www.oliverthemusical.com
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Mon - Sat 8, Mats Tue 3 & Sat 4
THE LION KING
Tue-Sat 7.30, Wed & Sat 2pm, Sun 3pm LYRIC THEATRE 0844 412 4661
THE 39 STEPS
Mon - Sat 8pm, Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm DONMAR 0844 871 7624
GARRICK THEATRE 0844 412 4662 Tamsin Greig, Rupert Freind Gemma Arterton, Harry Lloyd
Directed by Debbie Allen Mon-Sat 7.30, Wed & Sat mats 2.30 www.catwestend.com
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
MAMMA MIA!
Mon-Thur 7.30, Fri 5 & 8.30, Sat 3 & 7.30 www.Mamma-Mia.com
BILLY ELLIOT
THE MUSICAL Mon - Sat 7:30, Wed & Sat, 2:30
billyelliotthemusical.com
`MELANIE C IS SENSATIONAL' D Tel
WILLY RUSSELL'S
THRILLER � LIVE
The songs of Michael & the Jackson 5 Tues � Fri 7.30, Sat 4 & 8, Sun 3.30 & 7.30 "THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING. A GREAT NIGHT OUT!" D. Tel www.thrillerlive.com
PETER PAN AT THE O2
www.visitlondon.com/peterpan
RED
A new play by John Logan Mon-Sat 7.30, Mats Thu & Sat 2.30 Day seats available in person
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED
By Douglas Carter Beane thelittledoglaughedlondon.com
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
By John Guare Previews from 8 Jan www.oldvictheatre.com
OLD VIC 0844 871 7609
BLOOD BROTHERS
BEST MUSICAL ALL MAJOR AWARDS Eves 7.45pm. Mats Thur 3pm. Sat 4pm
QUEEN'S 0844 482 5161
LES MISERABLES
25th ANNIVERSARY YEAR
Eves 7.30, Mats Wed & Sat 2.30 www.LesMis.com
TRAFALGAR STUDIOS 0844 871 7632 JONATHAN PRYCE
WYNDHAM'S 0844 482 5120 The National Theatre production of J. B. Priestley's classic thriller
THE CARETAKER
BY HAROLD PINTER FROM TUESDAY 12 JANUARY WWW.THECARETAKERTHEPLAY.COM
AN INSPECTOR CALLS
Tue-Sat 7.30 Wed & Thu 2.30 Sat 3
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Reviews Independent Life 17
TheMondayBook
The new year springs to life
DANCE
OFF KILTER Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
HHHH
O
ff Kilter is a gleeful celebration of dance in Scotland, from highland to breakdance. It makes an immensely likeable New Year show, with a world premiere from Mark Morris as the icing on its tartanwrapped cake. Morris's Cease Your Funning is the production's great coup: a new work from one of the world's leading choreographers. Morris uses Beethoven's arrangement of Scottish songs, his touch flirtatiously light. Claudia McPherson scampers like a sylph around Kanji Segawa and William Smith III. Then she stands still, one arm boldly raised: Caledonia stern and wild. In one springy sequence, the two men lift each other, with McPherson ducking between them. The relationships keep shifting. There's some wonderful mime in "Sally in Our Alley". A curl of the wrists suggests empty pockets, while the men clutch their hearts with clawed
hands, making the gesture more than conventional. Cease Your Funning is delicate but powerful. Morris's musical timing is as good as ever; dancers dash on from the wings, changing the whole tone as they arrive right on the note. Striking poses, then falling out of them, the dancers go from comedy to sharp edges. Created as part of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations, Off Kilter is exuberant, designed to be a good time. Davina Givens opens the evening with highland dancing, her legs strong and sharp. Aerialist Jennifer Patterson climbs out of a silk cocoon, then slides up and down her silk trapeze. Phyllis Byrne dresses the Indian classical dancers of Ihayami in traditional costume with pleated tartan sashes, but this long number wore thin. Paisley Patter, a premiere from Ashley Page, was framed by archive photographs of Scottish urban life. Page's dances are light and brisk, though Ivor Cutler's songs are tiresomely whimsical. I loved Frank McConnell's Innit Innat � No?, a juicy contemporary dance with bursts of breakdance. The adorable accordionist Martin Green, for some reason wearing a dress, wandered on
Enough to chill the blood
Over the centuries, much blood has been spilled in the antiseptic corridors of Smithfield. Although the London meat market itself is now surSNOW HILL rounded by By Mark chi-chi bars Sanderson HARPERCOLLINS, and restaurants (with �12.99 Order for �11.69 nary a blood(free p&p) from the stained apron Independent Bookshop: to be seen), 08430 600 030 there are signs that it is becoming a popular literary destination. But the blood flowing in new Smithfield-set novels is human rather than animal. Frances Fyfield's Cold to the Touch married Smithfield and murder in sanguinary fashion, but Mark Sanderson's Snow Hill makes that book look like Heidi. There is also some startlingly graphic transgressive sex. The novel, set in an artfully realised 1930s London, is not (as they used to say) for one's maiden aunt. Sanderson is a journalistic boulevardier of great wit and charm, with a gift for the outrageous. Ironically, this novel � despite its unblushing treatment of gay sexual encounters � is, in the final analysis, more reticent than one might expect. Struggling journo Johnny Steadman receives a tip-off about the death of a policeman at Snow Hill station, and thinks his luck is in. But he blunders into a dark m�lange of corruption and murder at the heart of the Establishment. To survive, he is even obliged (temporarily) to join the ranks of the dead and confront a psychotic man of power. In this trenchantly written novel, the male rape is responsibly handled, but the narrative pulls few punches. The characterisation is functional rather than nuanced, but the author sports a narrative grasp that won't let the reader go. However, his ace in the hole is the pungent evocation of time and place. London of the 1930s is conjured with immense skill, as are the less than enlightened attitudes of the day � notably towards homosexuality. Sanderson has previously written a poignant memoir, Wrong Rooms, about the death of a partner from skin cancer. The sensitivity of that book would not be appropriate here, but perhaps in future novels he will marry his keen storytelling skills to the subtle delineation of character that is clearly part of his literary ammunition. BARRY FORSHAW
Having a ball: Andrew Howitt's `Gemmill's Goal' CALLUM MOFFAT
stage to cast long-suffering glances at the audience. McConnell's dancers are upfront but relaxed, with Lisa Sinclair outstanding. Throughout, the show celebrates Scottishness without falling into sentimentality or maudlin aggression. Gemmill's Goal marks one of Scottish football's great moments, choreographed by Andrew Howitt to the original sports commentary. Steinvor Palsson's Scots Wi Hayis a ceilidh with quar-
relling. Two couples dance through four decades of pop music, arguing and showing off. The upper bodies are stroppy, but the feet are quick and neat. The evening's music was a mix of traditional folk, DJ sets, touches of classical, with all the musicians coming together for the finale. Everyone joins in, before inviting the audience onstage to join the Scottish country dancing. ZOE ANDERSON
Touring to 27 January (Offkilter.org.uk)
POP
FRANK TURNER Union Chapel, London
HHH
CLASSICAL
TRANSITION: DARKNESS AND LIGHT Kings Place, London
HHHH
he way a section of the crowd rise in their pews like a gospel choir tells you how fervently Frank Turner is loved by his fans. With his checked shirt and beard, he is no one's normal idea of a protest hero. But he is signed to the legendary punk label Epitaph in the US, and began in the punk band Million Dead. His first solo EP, Campfire Punkrock (2006), fairly describes his music's urgent but reassuring pleasures, the train rhythms and mandolin strums easing down sometimes challenging words. Europe's snowbound transport means he walks on stage late, straight from France. Luckily he's booked three kindred spirits as support. I catch Chris T-T, a relative veteran of modern UK protest pop. His mournful refrain, "find a job, get a Nintendo", captures a mix of self-disgust and resignation at the mediated, corporate world. Dion's 1968 memorial to assassinated Americans, "Abraham, Martin and John", drips with kitsch sentiment, but he approaches it straight. When Turner finally appears, the self-described militant atheist looks round this beautiful church at Christmas-time and hopes for "a church service � but without God". The mulledwine-merry screams from the pews certainly offer devotion. A sing-along to Wham's "Last Christmas" stands in for a carol, and "Journey of the Magi"
edy, about two straight male college buddies who plan to film themselves having sex, takes man-love to a place of palmsweating uncertainty. Mark Duplass stars. Nationwide
T
Urgent: Frank Turner TOMMY JACKSON
nods to the spiritual in sympathy for a dying, idealistic Moses. But Turner's mix of scrubbed perkiness and suppressed rage can't manage transcendence. It's his songs about relationships, not society, that feel raw. "Hold Your Tongue" tries to vengefully draw tears from an infuriating acquaintance, while "Faithful Son" is truthfully fraught in describing this son's love for his parents. One of his heroines may "smoulder with the will to save the world". But he is too aware of how ephemeral such efforts are to believe in the "revolution" plotted "from a cheap Southampton bistro" in "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous". "The Ballad of Me and My Friends" is his hardly Marxist, or even Dylanesque, manifesto. It's about the individual artistic impulses more and more of us follow, that fade to dust, forgotten, but allow striving, full lives, so who cares? The front rows leap up at its first notes, and Turner rips through a sawn-off version. He could dig deeper. But he is keeping some embers of mild resistance alive. NICK HASTED
TOKYO STORY
(U, YASUJIRO OZU, 136MINS)
lassical music's great strength is that it needs no mediation: wherever it's heard, and in whatever circumstances, its voice is the same. But people have always been tempted to trick it out with visuals, and never more so than now, as its purveyors lose faith in their capacity to speak unaided to a generation raised on American mass-entertainment. Last month, the pianist Leif Ove Andsnes unveiled a video he had commissioned to give Mussorsgky's Pictures at an Exhibition a visual dimension: a stunningly pointless exercise, given that the music is itself so visually evocative. Now comes Transition with its video presentation, in three linked concerts, of the music of John Dowland, Luciano Berio, and Alessandro Scarlatti � the director of the last of which was Laurence Cummings, taking time out from podium duty at the ENO Messiah. Transition's premise with Dowland was that his songs' quintessentially 16th-century melancholy could be delivered by a 21st-century office worker hunched over his computer, "in a place of existential angst and isolation": and where better to shoot the video than in the newspaper office directly above the hall where the performance would take place? Snapping off his desk-light at the end of "In Darkness Let Me Dwell" was just one of the literal ways in which
when John Lennon was growing up in leafy Liverpool, with his aunt Mimi. It thrums to a fierce narrative beat and, more importantly, it feels like something made with love. Nationwide
C
Dazzling: Oliver Coates STEVEN LEE
countertenor Stephen Wallace was induced to dramatise the music, while the videos above his head were at times unhelpfully distracting. Yet in strictly musical terms this performance was a triumph, with Wallace's flexible and expressive sound perfectly complemented by Andrew Maginley's exquisite playing on the lute. The tricksy videos accompanying three of Berio's solo Sequenzas were downright disruptive. These dense pieces of instrumental virtuosity � dazzlingly performed by violinist Clio Gould, cellist Oliver Coates, and soprano Claire Booth � needed total concentration on the part of the audience, and simply didn't get it. The work that fared best was Scarlatti's cantata "Correa nel Seno Amato", in which Claire Booth � giving a marathon display of transcendent vocal beauty � was accompanied by a Baroque-instrument ensemble, some pleasant footage of trees, water, sky, and inky pages, and a "contemporary" dancer who mercifully spent most of the work lying prostrate at her feet. MICHAEL CHURCH
THE QUEEN OF SPADES
(PG, THOROLD DICKINSON, 95MINS)
FIVEBEST
{ Films } By Lxxx Pxxxxx
HUMPDAY
(15, LYNN SHELTON, 94MINS)
This wryly provocative com-
Every shot of Yasujiro Ozu's rereleased 1953 domestic drama, about an elderly couple who visit their too-busy children in the city, is
suffused with clarity, meaning, feeling and humanity. Limited release
NOWHERE BOY
(15, SAM TAYLOR-WOOD, 97MINS)
Sam Taylor-Wood's film debut rewinds to the mid-1950s
`Tokyo Story'
This marvellously creepy Gothic romance, based on a short story by Pushkin and first released in 1949, stars Anton Wal-
ing, cool-handed and gripping parable about repression and violence, set in a German village before the THE WHITE RIBBON First World War. (15, MICHAEL HANEKE, Nationwide 144 MINS) Tomorrow This Palme d'OrFive Best Plays winner is a broodbrook as aTsarist captain obsessed with making his fortune. Limited release
`Nowhere Boy'
18 Independent Life Television&Radio
BBC1
6.00 Breakfast (T). 9.15 Heir Hunters (R) (T). 10.00 Wanted Down Under (T) (followed by BBC News; Weather) (T). 11.00 Britain's Empty Homes (T). 11.30 Cash in the Attic (T) (followed by BBC News; Weather) (T). 12.15 Bargain Hunt (T). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (T). 1.30 Regional News; Weather (T). 1.45 Doctors (T). 2.15 Missing (R) (T). 3.00 BBC News; Weather; Regional News (T). 3.05 CBeebies: Big & Small (R) (T). 3.15 Grandpa in My Pocket (R) (T). 3.30 CBBC: What's New Scooby-Doo? (T). 3.50 OOglies (R) (T). 4.05 Sorry, I've Got No Head (R) (T). 4.35 MI High (T). 5.00 Newsround (T). 5.15 Weakest Link (T).
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
BBC2
6.00 CBeebies: Me Too! (R) (T). 6.20 Big Cook Little Cook (R) (T). 6.40 Brum (R) (T). 6.55 Pingu (R). 7.00 CBBC: Tronji (R) (T). 7.25 Newsround (T). 7.30 Deadly 60 (R) (T). 8.00 Planet Ajay (T). 8.30 CBeebies: Wibbly Pig (R) (T). 8.40 Get Squiggling (R) (T). 9.00 Louie (R) (T). 9.10 Finley the Fire Engine (R) (T). 9.25 Lunar Jim (R) (T). 9.35 Tommy Zoom (R) (T). 9.45 Our Planet (R) (T). 9.55 Telly Tales (R) (T). 10.10 Waybuloo (R) (T). 10.30 In the Night Garden (R) (T). 11.00 FILM One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (Robert Stevenson 1975) Disney family comedy, starring Peter Ustinov (T). 12.30 Working Lunch (T). 1.00 Darts: BDO World Championships (T). 3.45 Flog It! Ten of the Best (T). 4.30 Ready Steady Cook (T). 5.15 Escape to the Country (T).
ITV1
6.00 GMTV (T). 9.25 The Jeremy Kyle Show (T). 10.30 This Morning (T). 12.30 Loose Women (T). 1.30 ITV News and Weather (T). 1.55 Regional News; Weather (T). 2.00 60-Minute Makeover (T). 3.00 Dickinson's Real Deal (R) (T). 4.00 A Touch of Frost (R) (T).
CHANNEL 4
6.00 The Hoobs (R) (T). 6.25 The Hoobs (R) (T). 6.50 Yo Gabba Gabba (T). 7.20 Celebrity Big Brother: The Launch (R) (T). 8.35 4Music: The Hollyoaks Music Show (R) (T). 9.05 Frasier (R) (T). 9.35 Will & Grace (R) (T). 10.05 According to Jim (T). 10.35 Friends (R) (T). 11.05 Friends (R) (T). 11.35 The Big Bang Theory (R) (T). 12.00 Channel 4 News Summary (T). 12.05 A Place in the Sun: Down Under (R) (T). 1.05 3-Minute Wonder: Juggling Homelessness (R) (T). 1.10 FILM The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (Gordon Hessler 1974) Arabian adventure, starring John Phillip Law (T). 3.10 Celebrity Come Dine with Me Extra Portions (R) (T). 3.40 Celebrity Come Dine with Me Extra Portions (R) (T). 4.10 Deal or No Deal (T). 4.55 Celebrity Come Dine with Me Extra Portions (R) (T). 5.30 Celebrity Come Dine with Me Extra Portions (R) (T).
FIVE
6.00 Milkshake! (R) (T). 9.15 The Wright Stuff (T). 10.45 Trisha Goddard (R) (T). 11.45 Michaela's Animal Road Trip (R) (T). 12.40 Five News (T). 12.50 Monster Moves (R) (T). 1.45 Neighbours (T). 2.15 Nigel Marven's Shark Island (R) (T). 3.05 Zoo Days (R) (T). 3.10 FILM Aces `n' Eights (Craig R Baxley 2008) Western, starring Casper Van Dien (T). 5.00 Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky; Weather (T). 5.30 Neighbours (R) (T).
BBC3
BBC4
MORE4
9.00 Deal or No Deal (R) (T). 9.45 Room for Improvement (R) (T). 10.50 FILM How to Steal a Million (William Wyler 1966) Crime comedy, starring Peter O'Toole (T). 1.10 Georgina Goes Out (R) (T). 1.15 Knife Crime (R) (T). 1.20 A Step Forward (R) (T). 1.25 3-Minute Wonder: In Search of the Morning Glory (R) (T). 1.30 Deal or No Deal (R) (T). 2.20 Come Dine with Me (R) (T). 2.50 Coach Trip (R) (T). 3.20 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away (R) (T). 4.25 How Clean Is Your House? (R) (T). 5.00 How Clean Is Your House? (R) (T). 5.30 Relocation, Relocation (R) (T).
SKY1
6.00 Good Morning Sports Fans 7.00 Brainiac: Science Abuse (R) (T). 8.00 Got to Dance (R) (T). 9.00 Got to Dance (R) (T). 10.00 Lion Man (R) (T). 10.30 The Biggest Loser (R). 11.30 Sell Me the Answer (T). 12.30 Project Runway (R) (T). 1.30 Models of the Runway 2.00 Angela and Friends 3.30 UK Border Force (R) (T). 4.30 Malcolm in the Middle (R) (T). 5.00 Got to Dance (R) (T).
DIY SOS 8.30pm BBC1
Hustle 9pm BBC1
6.00 BBC News; Weather (T). 6.30 Regional News Magazine; Weather (T).
6.00 Eggheads (T). 6.30 Great British Railway Journeys. New series. Michael Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to find out how the railways have affected people, beginning with a visit to Liverpool and Eccles (T). 7.00 Live Darts: BDO World Championships. Colin Murray is joined by Bobby George to present coverage of the remaining first-round ties on day three at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green (T). 8.00 University Challenge. St John's College, Oxford, takes on Girton College, Cambridge. Chaired by Jeremy Paxman (T). 8.30 FILM Death Defying Acts (Gillian Armstrong 2007) Premiere. Escapologist Harry Houdini is targeted by a bogus psychic during a Scottish tour. Period drama, with Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Timothy Spall and Saoirse Ronan (T).
6.00 Regional News; Weather (T). 6.30 ITV News and Weather (T).
6.00 The Simpsons. Homer crashes the car but lets Marge take the blame (R) (T). 6.30 Hollyoaks. Gilly tries to break off his engagement to Cheryl (T).
6.00 Michaela's Zoo Babies. A white rhino is pregnant at an animal park in Cumbria (R) (T). 6.25 Live from Studio Five. Topical reports (T). Madagascar 8.30pm BBC3
6.35 Deal or No Deal. Game show (T).
6.00 Oops TV. Selection of home videos and out-takes (R).
7.00 Celebrity Mastermind. With John Thomson, Matthew Lewis, Stewart Lee and Sascha Kindred (T). 7.30 My Family. Susan and Ben renew their wedding vows (R) (T).
7.00 Emmerdale. Nathan warns Ryan not to hurt Maisie (T). 7.30 Coronation Street. Joe faces more threats from the loan shark (T).
7.00 Channel 4 News (T). 7.55 3-Minute Wonder: Real Life Secrets. New series. Docu-dramas telling the stories of four black teenage girls growing up in the UK. A young mother struggles with a jealous lover (T). 8.00 The Mystery of the Nevada Triangle. See Critic's Choice, right (T).
7.30 How Do They Do It? Robert Llewellyn visits Drax in North Yorkshire, home of the largest power station in the UK, and learns how diamonds are mined in the inhospitable climes of Yellowknife, Canada (R) (T). 8.00 Police Interceptors. Officers pursue international car thieves as they try to leave the country in a stolen BMW, and a drunk driver is chased through Epping Forest (R) (T). 9.00 FILM Wyatt Earp (Lawrence Kasdan 1994) The life of the legendary lawman, from his early youth to his days as the feared and respected town marshal who engineered the gunfight at the OK Corral, an ultimately tragic confrontation with a notorious outlaw gang. Western, starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Michael Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Bill Pullman and Catherine O'Hara (T).
7.00 Doctor Who. The Time Lord travels to Victorian England, where he meets a man with a sonic screwdriver who calls himself the Doctor � and to complicate matters further, the Cybermen turn up (R) (T). 8.00 The Gruffalo. Animated adaptation of the children's book (R) (T). 8.30 FILM Madagascar (Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath 2005) Animated adventure, with the voices of Ben Stiller and Chris Rock (T). 9.50 Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions. Fun with the madcap duo, courtesy of creator Nick Park. With the voice of Peter Sallis (R) (T).
7.00 World News Today; Weather (T). 7.30 Days That Shook the World. The Hitler Diaries hoax (R) (T).
7.25 Grand Designs. Kevin McCloud travels to the west coast of Ireland, where the architect Andrew Lohan is converting a ruined 150year-old church into a family home (R) (T).
7.00 The Simpsons. Lisa is moved up a grade (R) (T). 7.30 The Simpsons. A jazz performer teaches Lisa how to express her gloomy moods through music � and inspires her to write a blues tune for him (R) (T). 8.00 Football's Next Star. Jamie Redknapp mentors 16 to 18-year-old competitors from the UK and Ireland in a search for the ideal candidate for a season of football with Italian club Inter Milan (R) (T). 9.00 Road Wars. The Road Crime Unit makes a surprise discovery after pulling over a car, Steve the dog handler and his companion pursue a suspect and the Tactical Aid Group raids a flat (T). 10.00 Ross Kemp Middle East: Gaza. Part one of two. The actor examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gaining access to parties on all sides of it. Ross begins by meeting people caught in the crossfire in Gaza (R). 11.00 UK Border Force. Cameras follow the work of staff at the British Commission in Lagos, Nigeria, and staff at a steakhouse in London's West End are interrogated (R) (T).
12.00 Road Wars (R) (T). 1.00 Miami SWAT (R) (T). 1.50 Road Wars (R) (T). 2.40 Don't Forget the Lyrics (R) (T). 3.30 Nothing But the Truth (R) (T). 4.20 Dom Joly's Happy Hour (R) (T). 5.10 Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? (R) (T). ?To 6am.
8.00 EastEnders. Ronnie resolves to catch Archie's killer (T). 8.30 DIY SOS. Nick Knowles and the team come to the aid of a family forced to share a bed because of an unfinished extension (R) (T). 9.00 Hustle. New series. The team's latest con, involving a disgraced former banker, is thrown into disarray when a mysterious woman enquires about Mickey's whereabouts. Starring Adrian Lester (T). 10.00 BBC News (T). 10.25 Regional News; Weather (T). 10.35 FILM Face/Off (John Woo 1997) See Film Choice, right (T).
8.00 The Lakes. See Critic's Choice, right (T). 8.30 Coronation Street. Sally and Kevin agree to keep her illness from their daughters (T).
8.00 Dinner with Portillo. Michael Portillo explores the motivations of the modern political diarist (T). 8.30 Only Connect. New series. Three civil servants take on a trio of music lovers (T). 9.00 Dear Diary. New series. What people gain from writing and reading diaries, beginning with Richard E Grant considering the journals of Joe Orton, Kenneth Williams and Rosemary Ackland (T). 10.00 FILM Moliere (Laurent Tirard 2006) See Film Choice, right.
8.30 The Daily Show Global Edition
9.00 Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia. See Critic's Choice, right (T).
9.00 Generation XXL. See Critic's Choice, right (T).
9.00 Come Dine with Me. Four dinner party hosts in Colchester compete to win the �1,000 grand prize, but it does not take long for strong personalities to provoke clashes within the group (R) (T). 10.00 Without a Trace. The team uncovers an increasing number of suspects during the investigation into the disappearance of a high-profile Russian matchmaker. Starring Anthony LaPaglia (T). 11.00 Without a Trace. The team searches for the son of a billionaire after the plane he was piloting is found abandoned after crashing in an area of woodland. Drama, with Anthony LaPaglia (T).
12.00 Come Dine with Me (R) (T). 1.05 Without a Trace (R) (T). 2.00 Without a Trace (R) (T). 2.55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away (R) (T). To 4am.
10.00 Nurse Jackie. See Critic's Choice, right (T). 10.30 Newsnight (T).
11.20 Darts: BDO World Championships. Rob Walker introduces highlights of the remaining first-round matches on day three at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green (T).
12.50 Sign Zone: Who Do You Think You Are? (R) (T). 1.50 Sign Zone: Alexander Armstrong's Very British Holiday (R) (T). 2.50 Sign Zone: Horizon (R) (T). 3.50 Sign Zone: An Island Parish (R) (T). 4.20 BBC News (T). To 6am. 12.10 Darts Extra (T). 2.10 BBC News (T). To 4.20am.
10.00 ITV News at Ten and Weather (T). 10.30 Regional News; Weather (T). 10.35 FILM The Time Machine (Simon Wells 2002) A 19th-century scientist travelling through time encounters a terrifying future. Sci-fi adventure, based on the HG Wells novel, with Guy Pearce and Samantha Mumba (T).
10.00 Celebrity Big Brother. Highlights of the past 24 hours (T).
10.00 EastEnders. Ronnie resolves to catch Archie's killer (R) (T). 10.30 Kill It, Cook It, Eat It � Fast Food. New series. Six volunteers learn how animals are turned into fast food (T).
11.10 The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2009. Hosted by Jimmy Carr (R) (T).
11.30 Family Guy. Peter becomes obsessed with a hit song from 1963 (R) (T). 11.50 Family Guy. A time machine transports Mort Goldman to Nazi-occupied Poland (R) (T).
11.55 Mad Men. Don tries to get a celebrity comedian to apologise when a joke goes down badly at a promotional shoot. Betty is taken aback by Arthur's confession and Harry is given a new job (R) (T).
12.40 Dear Diary (R) (T). 1.40 Only Connect (R) (T). 2.10 Days That Shook the World (R) (T). 2.40 Dinner with Portillo (R) (T). 3.10 Dear Diary (R) (T). To 4.10am.
12.20 Take Me Out (R) (T). 1.15 Loose Women (R). 2.05 The Jeremy Kyle Show (R) (T). 3.00 ITV Nightscreen 5.30 ITV News (T). To 6am.
1.15 Celebrity Big Brother: Live 4.00 St Elsewhere (R) (T). 4.45 Age of Love (R) (T). 5.35 The Hoobs (R) (T). To 6am.
12.45 Urban Legends (R) (T). 1.15 SuperCasino 4.00 The FBI Files (R) (T). 4.55 Rough Guide to Beaches (R) (T). 5.10 Neighbours (R) (T). 5.35 Nick's Quest (R) (T). To 6am.
12.15 Russell Howard's Good News (R) (T). 12.45 Most Annoying People 2009 (T). 1.40 Kill It, Cook It, Eat It � Fast Food (R) (T). 2.40 Russell Howard's Good News (R) (T). 3.10 EastEnders: The Sins of Archie Mitchell (R) (T). 4.10 Doctor Who Confidential (R) (T). To 5.10am.
Today'sRadio
RADIO 1
6.30am The Chris Moyles Show with Scott Mills 10.00 Sara Cox 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 Greg James 4.00 Dev 7.00 Huw Stephens 9.00 International Radio 1 10.00 Nick Grimshaw 12mdn't Rock Show with Daniel P Carter 2.00 Punk Show with Mike Davies 4.00 Max. To 6.30am. 10.00 Big Band Special 10.30 Shake, Rattle and Roll 11.30 Elvis, the Brand 12mdn't Janice Long 3.00 Alex Lester. To 6am.
RADIO 3
7am Breakfast 10.00 Classical Collection 12noon Composer of the Week: Spanish Baroque; News 1.00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. Mozart: Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte; Das Veilchen; Sehnsucht nach dem Fr�hlinge; An Chloe. 2.00 Afternoon on 3. Sibelius: The Oceanides. Martucci: Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat minor. Schumann: Fantasiest�cke. Kod�ly: Dances of Galanta. Schubert: Allegro in A minor. 5.00 In Tune
7.00 Performance on 3. Schubert, Schubert/Osvaldo Golijov, Mahler, Tom Rose. 9.15 Night Waves. The case for the restoration of historic buildings. 10.00 Composer of the Week: Spanish Baroque. Murcia, Dur�n, Romero, Santa Cruz, Romero, Coll, Aran�s, Patino. 11.00 The Essay. See Radio Choice, right. 11.15 Jazz on 3 1am Through the Night. To 7am.
RADIO 4
6am Today 9.00 In Our Time: the Royal Society and British Science. See Radio Choice, right. 9.45 Book of the Week: The Last Matchmaker 10.00 Woman's Hour 11.00 Mother Was a Blackshirt. See Radio Choice, right. 11.30 Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off 12noon News 12.04 You and Yours 12.57 Weather 1.00 The World at One 1.30 Brain of Britain
RADIO 2
6am Sarah Kennedy: The Dawn Patrol 7.30 Johnnie Walker 9.30 Ken Bruce 12noon Jeremy Vine 2.00 Steve Wright in the Afternoon 5.00 Richard Allinson 7.00 Paul Jones 8.00 Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie
2.00 The Archers 2.15 Afternoon Play: McLevy. Jack O'Diamonds, by David Ashton. Jean Brash plans revenge on a sadistic client, but Caleb Grant has a finger in every criminal pie in Edinburgh and is not a man to cross lightly. 3.00 Archive on 4: Carry On Britain 3.45 The Beatrix Potter Guide to Business 4.00 The Food Programme 4.30 Beyond Belief. The place of faith in international aid and development. 5.00 PM 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Just a Minute. New series. With Paul Merton, Julian Clary, David Mitchell and Gyles Brandreth. 7.00 The Archers 7.15 Front Row 7.45 Six Suspects. Ayeesha Menon's dramatisation of Vikas Swarup's novel. 8.00 In Search of the British Work Ethic. See Radio Choice, right.
8.30 Crossing Continents. Reports from around the world. 9.00 The Vox Project. New series. Clare Balding explores all aspects of the human voice. 9.30 In Our Time: The Royal Society and British Science. See Radio Choice, right. 10.00 The World Tonight 10.45 Book at Bedtime: The True Deceiver. By Tove Jansson. 11.00 Word of Mouth. Why staying silent can be a powerful tool in a speech. 11.30 Art for Schools 12mdn't News and Weather 12.30 Book of the Week: The Last Matchmaker 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 World Service 5.20 Shipping Forecast 5.30 News Briefing 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 Farming Today. To 6am.
10.00 Test Match Special 12.01pm Shipping Forecast 12.04 Test Match Special 5.54 Shipping Forecast
RegionalVariations
BBC1 N IRELAND AS 3.00 Reporting Scotland. 6.30 Reporting Scotland. 7.30 Africa's Walk of Hope. 9.00 One Night in Emergency. 10.25 Reporting Scotland. 10.35 Sportscene. 11.15 FILM: Face/Off (John Woo 1997). 1.30 BBC News. 1.50 Sign Zone: Who Do You Think You Are? BBC1 WALES AS BBC1 EXCEPT: 1.30 BBC Wales Today. 3.00 BBC Wales Today. 6.30 BBC Wales Today. 7.30 Hidden Houses of Wales. 8.30 Why Do You Hate Me? 10.25 BBC Wales Today. BBC2 N IRELAND AS BBC2 EXCEPT: 10.00 Flicks Feirste. 10.25 Preab Suas. 11.20 Nurse Jackie. 11.50 Darts: BDO World Championships. 12.40 Darts Extra. BBC2 SCOTLAND AS BBC2 EXCEPT: 8.30 Padraig Post: SDS. 8.45 �ran bho na Daoine Beaga. 8.50 Charlie is Lola. 11.00 Newsnight Scotland.
RADIO 5
RADIO 4 LW
8.15am Test Match Special 9.45 Daily Service
6am 5 Live Breakfast BBC1 EXCEPT: 1.30 BBC 10.00 Victoria Derbyshire Newsline. 3.00 1pm Phil Williams 4.00 BBC Newsline. 5 Live Drive 7.00 5 Live 6.30 BBC Newsline. Sport: The 10.25 BBC Monday Night Newsline. Club 8.00 10.35 The Last 5 Live Sport: Resort. FA Cup 11.05 2009-10 FILM: 10.30 Six Days, Matthew Seven Bannister Nights (Ivan 1am Up Reitman All Night 1998). 5.00 12.40 Where Morning Music Matters. Reports BBC1 5.30 Wake SCOTLAND AS BBC1 Up to EXCEPT: 1.30 Money. Reporting To University Challenge 8pm BBC2 Scotland. 6am.
STV AS ITV1 EXCEPT: 4.00 Midsomer Murders. 5.00 The Hour. 6.00 Scotland Revealed Moments. 1.15 The Jeremy Kyle Show. 2.10 Six Degrees. 2.55 ITV Nightscreen. ULSTER TV AS ITV1 EXCEPT: 8.00 Your TV � UTV at 50. 10.35 Piers Morgan's Life Stories: Ronnie Corbett. 11.35 Brain Box. S4C AS FOUR EXCEPT: 6.25 The Hoobs. 6.50 Yo Gabba Gabba. 8.35 4Music: The Hollyoaks Music Show. 9.05 Frasier. 9.35 Will & Grace. 10.05 According to Jim. 10.30 Wife Swap USA. 11.25 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away. 12.30 Cyw. 1.30 Deal or No Deal. 2.15 Deal or No Deal. 3.00 Wedi 3. 4.00 Planed Plant. 6.00 Aur: Jacpot. 6.30 Rownd a Rownd. 7.00 Wedi 7. 7.30 Newyddion a'r Tywydd. 8.00 Pobol y Cwm. 8.25 Ffermio. 9.00 Cefn Gwlad. 9.30 Y Byd ar Bedwar. 10.00 Sgorio. 10.50 Penawdau Newyddion a'r Tywydd. 10.55 Celebrity Big Brother. 12.05 Tsunami: Caught on Camera. 1.35 FILM: Grey Gardens (Michael Sucsy 2009). 3.25 Grey Gardens. 5.00 Diwedd.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Television&Radio Independent Life 19
Critic's Choice
Gerard Gilbert
g.gilbert@independent.co.uk
The case goes cold
TheWeekend'sTelevision
Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia
9PM ITV1
The Lakes
8PM ITV1
Nurse Jackie
10PM BBC2
Tom Sutcliffe
t.sutcliffe@independent.co.uk
Not, alas, a rerun of Jimmy McGovern's 1997 drama, but Rory McGrath (right) blokeishly out and about in the Lake District, meeting hoteliers, tour guides and mountain-rescue volunteers.
The Mystery of the Nevada Triangle
8PM CHANNEL 4
Kelly Reilly (above) returns as Lynda La Plante's coltish DC Anna Travis, in the first of three new mysteries. When the body of a young woman is discovered mutilated beside the Thames, it appears to be a re-enactment of the famously unsolved Black Dahlia murder in Forties Los Angeles...
"What do you call a nurse with a bad back? Unemployed." `Sopranos' star Edie Falco takes the title role in this dark new US medical dramedy, about an emergencyroom nurse not above giving the pharmacist a quick one in order to score some painkillers.
WALLANDER
SUN BBC1
PIERS MORGAN ON LAS VEGAS
SAT ITV1
Why have so many aircraft, including that of Richard Branson's friend, Steve Fossett, disappeared in a triangular area of the Sierra Nevada mountains near the "Area 51" military air base, famous for unexplained UFO sightings? Suggestions range from government conspiracy and aliens to unusual local atmospheric effects.
Generation XXL
9PM CHANNEL 4
ELVIS IN VEGAS
SUN BBC2
Channel 4's new landmark documentary series � a sort of `7Up' of obesity � will follow seven overweight children on their journey towards adulthood, to find out what it really feels like to be growing up fat.
Film Choice
Laurence Phelan
l.phelan@independent.co.uk
Face/Off
10.35PM BBC1
(John Woo, 1997) The films John Woo made in his native Hong Kong were a major influence on 1990s action cinema, even if he never quite repeated his success in Hollywood. His best US film remains this extravagantly violent sensory fusillade, with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as an FBI agent and his quarry whose faces and identities get swapped over.
favourable conditions in their concentration camp were set to work by the Nazis counterfeiting currency with a view to flooding and ruining the Allies' economies. The terrible moral dilemmas that the counterfeiters face are powerfully drawn.
up in just the kind of farcical situation he'd later write about, and consorting with the characters who'd later figure in his plays.
Surveillance
1OPM SKY MOVIES PREMIERE
Moli�re
10PM BBC4
The Counterfeiters
1OPM SKY MOVIES INDIE
(Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2007) The true story of a group of Jewish artisans who, in return for comparatively
(Laurent Tirard, 2006) In a wheeze that's now become quite familiar (see also `Shakespeare in Love'), this lavishly upholstered French romcom proposes that, during the short period in 1645 that his biographers can't account for, young Moli�re (nimbly played by Romain Duris) was caught
(Jennifer Lynch, 2009) This flashback crime thriller (above), in which the three surviving witnesses to a horrible occurrence on a deserted stretch of an American highway give their different versions of events to the FBI, has echoes of some of the weirder and more violent films by its director's father, David Lynch. It is only a B-movie, but an uncommonly taut and deliriously lurid one.
RadioChoice
In Our Time: the Royal Society and British Science
9AM RADIO 4
In Search of the British Work Ethic
8PM RADIO 4
To mark the Royal Society's 350th anniversary, Melvyn Bragg looks at its leading role in modern science.
Mother Was a Blackshirt
11AM RADIO 4
The journalist Melanie Phillips, who is known for her uncompromising views on the "work shy" beneficiaries of the welfare state, puts her theory to the test as she explores what work means to some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people in Britain.
Kenneth Branagh's bristles are very important to Wallander. They're a short cut to the character, for one thing, a marker of his anomie and depression. But they also show you how sharp the cinematography is, his face regularly looming up in the screen like a glum test card for the crispness of the focus. And that's the series's distinctive trademark, a Scandinavian clarity of light and design yoked to plotlines and settings that undermine our conventional prejudices about Sweden as a kind of giant Ikea room set. The horizons are nearly always low in the frame here � a landscape composition familiar from the kind of off-the-peg art photography you can buy at Ikea � but what's going on in those landscapes is anything but serene. Last night, it was the violent murder of an old couple, a crime that tugged Wallander away from an awkward dinner with his daughter and her new boyfriend and gave him ample scope for the angry dejection that is his trademark. The dinner and the murder turned out to be connected, not by any direct link but because Wallander's unseemly stab of discomfort at the race of his daughter's boyfriend colours (the apposite word in this case) his investigation of the crime. As he cradled one of the victims in his arms, she whispered a word to him. He knew it began with F but was it "farmer" or "foreigner"? Disturbed at the little pulse of racism he'd just detected within himself he resisted the latter suggestion, which didn't stop word getting out anyway and provoking retaliatory violence from local bigots. And naturally when that happened Wallander felt even more guilty, and looked even more intractably gloomy. There was a good subject here � racism being far more insidious than good liberal types will sometimes credit, and terror of racism doing its own kinds of damage. But is Wallander really as good as it clearly thinks it is? If you've a large appetite for the symbolic you may well love it. There was a white stallion here that kept turning up whenever the drama needed another injection of poetic weltschmerz, sometimes posing against a skyline and finally dead on the blacktop of a country road,
Thaw and order: in `Wallander', the titular Swedish detective (Kenneth Branagh) investigated the killing of an elderly couple
James Maw, whose mother was recruited by Oswald Mosley's Blackhirts in 1937 when she was just 16, looks at how the British fascist movement was founded by a suffragette and largely driven by women.
The Essay
11PM RADIO 3
The poet Andrew Motion explores the connections between walking and writing.
where it was presumably intended to represent something deeper and sadder than a dent in some poor sod's no-claims bonus. But you needed a certain amount of patience, both for the ponderous self-regard with which the whole thing proceeded and for the way it dipped back to stock conventions the moment the action hotted up. How familiar does this scene feel, for example? A large squad of policemen swamped a fairground looking for a suspect but when our hero spotted him and pursued him away from the bright lights into a warren of caravans he was instantly alone and at risk. None of his colleagues followed him and so he was free to act out a profoundly implausible little pantomime of reckless endangerment, walking steadily towards a man with a gun. Wallander, to put it bluntly, is a solipsistic drama queen, and the series that bears his name shows no awareness at all of how irritating such people can be. On Saturday night we got Piers Morgan on Las Vegas, notionally investigating the economic and ecological crisis the city is facing but mostly just wallowing in bling and excess. At the Palms hotel you can, if you're prepared to pay enough or lose enough, book into a room with its own en suite basketball court. You can tell that Morgan loves all this � the mayor who jokes about his Mob connections, Sylvester Stallone fondly recalling his partying days, the pneumatic "hostesses" who pretended to be partying in his Jacuzzi � and he fully bought into Vegas's carefully sustained lie that it's about fun rather than fleecing. If ever a city deserved to die, though, it's surely this one, every building and every street an affront to human dignity. I found myself getting positively Mosaic as I looked down at this city of the plain, thinking than nothing less than destruction by fire would do it justice. And if you feel this is overly puritanical, let me just note that Paris Hilton can be paid up to $500,000 simply for turning up at a party here. If that's not evidence that this is a lazar house of the soul I don't know what would count. Elvis in Vegas described the symbiosis between city and singer, with the former helping build its reputation as the pinnacle of an American showbiz career and the latter establishing Elvis as one of the biggest lounge acts in the world. This too was an account of shameless greed (mostly represented by Colonel Tom Parker, who worked Elvis like a sharecropper) and the corruptions of no-limits fun, which helped put Elvis in an early grave. Come to think of it, symbiosis is the wrong word. Parasitic would be a lot more accurate.
20 Independent Life Puzzles&Games
Sudoku #3065
HOW TO PLAY Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9. There's no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic
SATURDAY'S SOLUTIONS
Elementary 3 7 4 2 1 9 2 7 6 5 8 3 4 8 7 6 9 3 1 4 5 2 6 9 2 6 9 8 7 1 3 5 8 4 5 1 Intermediate 6 3 1 4 5 9 4 8 7 8 2 1 2 6 3 5 4 1 7 3 8 5 9 6 3 2 5 9 9 7 8 2 1 4 6 7 Advanced 6 8 3 5 1 4 2 7 9 1 3 8 9 6 5 7 4 2 8 2 7 4 9 6 3 5 1
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
Concise Crossword #7243
1 7 9
5 4 9 2 8 1 7 6 3 5 7 3 9 2 1 6 4 8 9 8 1 7 4 5 3 2 6 6 8 1 5 7 3 4 2 9 2 6 9 7 8 4 1 3 5 4 3 5 2 8 6 1 7 9 8 3 4 1 2 7 5 9 6 8 2 6 1 9 7 4 5 3 2 9 4 6 3 8 5 1 7 1 6 7 9 5 8 3 4 2 9 1 4 8 5 3 7 6 2 5 6 8 4 7 1 9 3 2 9 5 2 3 6 4 1 8 7 7 3 5 4 6 2 8 1 9 1 7 3 5 2 9 6 8 4
2
3
4
5
6 8
Elementary
Advanced
10
6 4 3 7 5 6 2 1 2 5 3 1 3 2 8 2 4 5 9 8 3
WIN A PORTABLE STEREO DAB AND FM RADIO
2 1 7 8 4 1 6 3 1 9
4
3
5
3 8 5
2 6
11
12
4 9 7 2 8 7
1
4 7 2 4 6 9 3
5 4 9 7 2 3 5 6
13 16 17 18
14
15
19
20
21
22
23
24
Intermediate � Prize grid
For more information visit www.pure.com
For your chance to win, either complete the sudoku grid to the right or the quick sudoku grid on page two of the newspaper and work out the numbers that should go in the shaded squares. You can complete both grids to increase your chances of winning. Correct entries will go into a draw to win an Elan II, Portable Stereo DAB and FM Radio, worth �99.99. �lan II combines the latest features like ReVuTM for DAB pause and rewind, with quality construction and a traditional design with a modern twist. With its black satin-touch finish, anodised aluminium fascia, turned aluminium controls and chromed handle with rubberized grip, �lan II looks the part and with its 3-inch full-range stereo speakers it sounds fantastic too, whether you want to tune in to your favourite radio stations or plug in your iPod/MP3 player. Fit an optional rechargeable ChargePAK or standard C Cell alkaline batteries for "grab-and-go" portability. To enter answers from the above grid, call 0905 654 1073 or text INDE followed by a space, then your answers (reading from top to bottom), name and address to 83010. To enter answers from the sudoku on page two, text INDI then a space, then your answers, name and address to 83010.
1 4 8 9 7 5 2 9 4 8 3 9 4 3 1 7 3 6 6 7 8
7
5 9
7 2 6 9 1 3 4 5 8
2 1 8 5 1 8 4
To order `The Independent Book of Sudoku' call Independent Books Direct on 0870 079 8897
1 5 9 10 11 13 14 17 20 22 23 24
Across
Worker who puts food in tins (6) Salary, wages (3) Be incorrect (3) Barren place (9) Vanishing (13) Old car (Informal) (6) Need for drink (6) Hostile opposition (13) Athenian citadel (9) Poem (3) In what way? (3) Cashier (6)
Down
2 3
4 5 6 7 8 12 13 15 16 18 19 21
Pressurised paint container (7) The Independent, for example (9) Slice of bacon (6) Pastry-covered dish (3) Long (5) Repair (4) Most strange (6) Practice session (9) Doglike wild animal (6) Rootstock (7) Leg ornament (6) Compass point (5) Require (4) Church bench (3)
Calls cost �1 per call from BT landlines. Other networks and mobiles may vary. Texts cost �1 plus usual network charges. Closing date: 11.59pm on the day of publication. Terms & conditions: see www.independent.co.uk/legal. A separate text must be sent for each sudoku grid. Service supplied by Advanced Telecom Services, PO Box 788, London EC1V 7ZA
t
Stuck? Then call our solutions line on 0906 751 0240. Calls cost 75p per minute at all times from a BT Landline. Calls from other networks may vary and mobiles will be considerably higher. Service supplied by ATS, PO Box 788, London EC1V 7ZA. Call 0871 220 2891 (10p per minute) for customer service.
u
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
Try our new Linkudo word puzzle game independent.co.uk/ puzzles
Solution to Saturday's Concise Crossword: ACROSS: 1 Heir, 4 Male (Airmail), 8 Chervil, 9 Erato, 10 Pay-and-display, 11 Basket, 13 Pledge, 16 Lexicographer, 19 Tread, 20 Insular, 21 Urge, 22 Need. DOWN: 2 Enemy, 3 Revenue, 4 Malady, 5 Leeds, 6 Ballad, 7 Holy terror, 8 Capability, 12 Sextet, 14 Liaison, 15 Ignite, 17 Cedar, 18 Halve.
Chess By Jon Speelman
Bridge By Maureen Hiron
or Nf7 2.Q(x)b7. The White rook has to clear the line for the queen to reach b7, giving mate and keeping control of e4. If White tries 1.Ra7?, 1...Nc6 2.Ra5+ Nxa5! If White tries 1.Qh7, Qg6 or Qc2, threatening to mate on the diagonal e4 to h1, the bishop can cut the queen off on h6, g5 or d2. The problem was composed by R G Thomson and first published in the Grantham Journal 1925. Original problems of this quality are not often seen in regional newspapers these days! This one was set as the starter problem in the Winton Capital Junior Chess Solving competition, for which the final will be held at Oakham School in February. The next formal solving event after that is the European Chess Solving Championship, which will take place in Sunningdale, Berkshire in April next year. The British senior team will be selected in the light of their results at the Oakham final, and there will be opportunities for juniors to participate. The prize of BCPS membership goes to Y Luarati from London SE13 with our congratulations. To find out more about chess problems contact Jim Grevatt at the address given in the first paragraph. Declarer saw things in a simple light � if the diamond finesse succeeded he would make game � if it didn't, he wouldn't. But he failed to appreciate that the diamond finesse might have been avoided altogether. Being a point too strong for his 1NT range, North opened One Diamond and South responded One Heart. North was in a quandary; his normal rebid would have been 2NT (18-19) but was chary of his small doubleton spade. So he rebid Three Hearts, in spite of the lack of a fourth heart. South raised to Four Hearts and West did well to lead ace and another spade to East's queen. East returned a trump, which ran to dummy's ace. Declarer cashed the trump queen, then played the ace of diamonds, in case the queen was singleton. Overtaking the trump jack with the king, South next ran the
g,dxacfb nhn nhn , n , , , , , , , , , , , , ,H, HNHNH,HN BFCSZDVG
Proof game, after Black's 8th move
so you should not need any hints, but it does contain one hidden surprise. The British Chess Problem Society will award a year's free membership for the first correct solution drawn from a hat. Membership includes six copies of the Society's magazine, worth �25. The full solution and the name of the winner will be published on 1 February.
The December Problem
North-South game; dealer South
North 4 10 7 5AQJ 7AK92 2 A 10 8 3 West 4AJ52 5 10 2 784 2KJ754 South 486 5K9764 7 J 10 7 5 2Q9
jack of diamonds. When this lost, he was unable to avoid a club loser, so ended one down. Rewind to the point where the trump jack was overtaken, and take a close peek at those club pips. By playing the queen, the contract is assured if West has the king. If West covers, a trick is subsequently lost to the jack, but then dummy's clubs are set up for two diamond discards. And if the queen loses to the king with East? Well, there's still the chance of the jack falling doubleton under the ace. Only if all that fails need the diamond finesse enter the equation.
The solution to this, the regular competition problem for The Independent set on the first Monday of each month, should be sent to Jim Grevatt of the British Chess Problem Society at Lazybed, Headley Fields, Headley, Hants GU35 8PS to arrive by 25 January. You are invited to produce the unique game score in which both players collaborate to reach the diagram from the normal starting position after eight moves each. However improbable the moves, the normal rules of chess apply! This proof game problem is easier than the one set three months ago,
, v ,A, , , , , B Ch, , , ,aN , ,h, , , , N , , , , , , ,Sc , ,
White to play and mate in two
East 4KQ943 5853 7Q63 262
The solution to last month's problem is 1.Rb8. There is no threat, and White simply has to wait for Black to weaken his position. If 1...Kc6 2.Qb5; 1...B any 2.Qh1; 1...Nc6 2.Rb5; 1...Nb7
FA Cup Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1 West Ham 1 Arsenal 2 Chelsea 5 Watford 0 MONDAY
ife DEt L ON SIndenECTI INpeAGE S de In 20-P
THE INDEPENDENT
Kallis century puts brake on England's third Test progress
Cricket, pages 10&11
Sport
4 JANUARY 2010
Ramsey inspires Gunners to Upton Park fightback
What to watch in 2010: Our writers pick their highlights
Pages 12-14
Football, page 5
SHOCKED
Match report and reaction, pages 2&3; James Lawton, page 4
GETTY IMAGES/AP
2 Ferguson stunned as Manchester United are sent crashing out of the FA Cup by bitter rivals Leeds at Old Trafford
2
SPORT
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Something from the weekend
By Ally McKay The Good...
Jacques Kallis On England's previous two visits to Cape Town, the portly all-rounder native to those parts had scored centuries, so it was with a hint of ominous predictability yesterday that old Scrumpy (as he was known during his time at Glamorgan) dug the home side out of a sticky patch with a magnificent unbeaten innings of 108. It was the kind of knock that only a natural-born champion could craft. Oh how England must wish this morning that they could swap all their South African defectors for just one little bit of Jacques. Jermaine Beckford Young J-Beck has been continually linked with a move away from Elland Road throughout his three and a half years at Leeds. If he feels the time is now right to step up a level, there can be few better ways of putting himself in the shop window than scoring the winner at Old Trafford...
United left red faced
2Beckford's goal springs one of third round's great upsets 2Grayson pays tribute to his resurgent outfit's `fantastic achievement'
MANCHESTER UTD
Beckford 19
0 1
LEEDS UNITED
By Tim Rich
THE phrase "living the dream" has been used to mock Leeds United as they tumbled through the divisions, but for the men in white who greeted the final whistle and the 9,000 who had travelled from Yorkshire to witness it, there can be no better description. It is one of football's great ironies that the club that almost bankrupted itself to compete against Manchester United � and justified their spending with the boast that they had lived the dream � should finally overcome their great rivals in their own temple once they had tumbled into the third tier of English football. Not even in 1974, when the players marshalled by Don Revie steamrollered their way to the championship and an ageing, ruined Manchester United were relegated, has there been such a chasm between the two clubs. And those who jammed the away end knew it, chanting with rare self-deprecation: "We're not famous any more". And yet the home-grown men like Richard Naylor and Jonathan Howson, managed by a Yorkshire boy in Simon Grayson, did something achieved by neither the well-drilled teams of Howard Wilkinson nor the sides assembled at ruinous expense under Peter Ridsdale. They came to Old Trafford and won. Moreover, they deserved to. Sir Alex Ferguson's only quibble about his first defeat at this stage of the FA Cup was the amount of stoppage time. Jermaine Beckford, who in 2004, the year Leeds were relegated from the Premier League, mixed playing for Wealdstone in the Isthmian League with working for the RAC, might have scored three times. Robert Snodgrass's free-kick struck the crossbar and even in the final moments when Casper Ankergren blocked Wayne Rooney's drive, Michael Doyle calmly played the ball out of defence rather than hoofing it upfield. This was not a victory against the grain. "It has been a fantastic achievement," reflected Grayson, who described the day as on a par with winning promotion with Blackpool at Wembley. "Our club has endured a lot of negativity over the past five or six years with administration and relegation. I said when I first came to the club that it had reached rock bottom and could not go any lower. "Our fans have deserved this result, not because we have taken 9,000 to Old Trafford; we have taken 4,000 to Bristol Rovers on a Tuesday night. Our fans have backed us when they had excuses not to. They could have downed tools and concluded that football is an expensive
The Bad...
Tottenham's party boys They do love a drink and a dance down at the Lane, don't they? A mere fortnight after Harry Redknapp ordered 16 Spurs players to donate two grand to charity after the infamous "secret Christmas booze-up" in Dublin, Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and Alan Hutton were snapped at a Soho nightclub. They were dressed as superheroes, no less, with Defoe (pictured) in the implausible guise of the Incredible Hulk. While a comprehensive FA Cup win on Saturday and their occupation of fourth spot in the league mean they can currently lay claim to a modicum of heroism, throw it all away � as is so often the way in N17 � and they'll be more supervillains than supermen.
And the Odd...
Washington Wizards Now, Wizards are not directly associated with Christmas, but you still wouldn't expect them to go against the spirit of the season to the extent that Washington's Gilbert Arenas (below, left) and Javaris Crittenton (right) allegedly did on the night before Christmas. It was reported that the two basketball stars drew guns on each other in the locker room. Come on guys, hug it out and remember: shoot hoops, not team-mates.
business. This is a result for them." Those supporters would not have wanted to be patronised, to be told they had done well by competing for an hour. However, by 60 minutes they seemed exhausted by their efforts before somehow, and from some-
where, discovering a second wind. With a dozen minutes remaining, Beckford was put clear on goal but directed his shot just wide of Tomasz Kuszczak's post and both he and his manager threw their hands to their heads, contemplating the potential
cost of the miss. As if to emphasise it, Snodgrass, who had not been fit enough to start, struck the frame of the United goal but, despite some furious appeals for a penalty when Michael Owen tumbled rather too easily in the box, the kings of the last-
Fourth round Draw details
n
Leeds' reward for beating Manchester United is a trip to another high-flying Premier League side in Tottenham. Arsenal and Chelsea face tricky away ties at Stoke and Preston respectively and Manchester City visit Scunthorpe. Liverpool will host Burnley should they dispose of Reading in next week's replay, while there are four all-Football League ties. Forest Green, the last remaining nonleague outfit, will host Wigan Athletic, if they can first overcome Notts County in their rearranged tie next Tuesday.
n
Ties to be played 23/24 January
FOURTH ROUND Southampton v Ipswich, Reading/ Liverpool v Burnley, Millwall/Derby v Brentford/Doncaster, Bristol City/ Cardiff v Leicester, Stoke v Arsenal, Notts County/Forest Green v Wigan, Scunthorpe v Man City, West Brom v Plymouth/Newcastle, Everton v Nott'm Forest/Birmingham, Accrington/Gillingham v Fulham, Bolton v Sheff Utd/QPR, Portsmouth/ Coventry v Sunderland, Preston v Chelsea, Aston Villa v Brighton, Tranmere/Wolves* v Crystal Palace, *played last night Tottenham v Leeds
n THIRD ROUND Tuesday 12 January Accrington Stanley v Gillingham Brentford v Doncaster Rovers Bristol City v Cardiff City Notts County v Forest Green Rovers n THIRD ROUND REPLAYS Tuesday 12 January Birmingham City v Nottingham Forest Coventry City v Portsmouth Derby County v Millwall QPR v Sheffield United Wednesday 13 January Liverpool v Reading Newcastle United v Plymouth Argyle
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
FOOTBALL SPORT
3
after Leeds live the dream
`We have to get this result out of our system'
2 `Shocked' Ferguson to make changes for League Cup semi-final against City
By Tim Rich
AFTER suffering his worst defeat in the FA Cup, Sir Alex Ferguson rounded on his players and promised sweeping changes for Manchester United's Carling Cup semi-final with Manchester City. Before yesterday's 1-0 reverse at home to Leeds, Ferguson had never suffered elimination in the third round of the competition and had never lost to lower-league opposition. For it to have happened at Old Trafford and against one of the club's great rivals, who are now in League One, left the Manchester United manager "shocked". "We have to get this out of our system," he said. "You have to get over these kind of results quickly. We have a semi-final on Wednesday night and a lot of these players here today won't be playing. You have to view that performance in the right light. I had a team in mind but there will be one or two changes now." The afternoon began badly for Unit-
Sir Alex Ferguson shows his frustration during yesterday's Cup defeat GETTY
Jermaine Beckford slides the ball past Tomasz Kuszczak for the winner (top left) and celebrates (above); Simon Grayson, the Leeds manager applauds the Leeds fans (far left); Michael Owen appeals in vain for a penalty (left) AP/REUTERS
"Human beings can always surprise you but we did not expect that "
SIR ALEX FERGUSON RUES MANCHESTER UNITED'S PERFORMANCE
minute comeback never seriously threatened. As the match opened, the Stretford End unfurled a banner featuring a portrait of Eric Cantona and words "Thanks a million", referring to the ludicrously-cheap fee United paid to take the Frenchman across the Pennines. Ferguson referred to Cantona as "the can-opener" for his ability to rip through defences but, an off-key Wayne Rooney apart, he possessed no similar weapons. Off-key he may have been, but Rooney remained his side's greatest threat. Played through in a rare incisive intervention by Dimitar Berbatov, Rooney advanced on goal but his shot, half-blocked by Ankergren, was shovelled off the line by Jason Crowe. After almost a decade of Peter Schmeichel, Old Trafford should know all about Danish keepers and, although Grayson remarked that Ankergren was "not exactly peppered with shots", the Dane did everything asked of him, including blocking Danny Welbeck's drive with his knee. If they were insipid in attack, Man-
chester United were, to use their manager's own adjective, "shocking" defensively. Apart from one vintage tackle on Doyle, Gary Neville was a shadow of the great player who has graced Old Trafford and took out his frustration with a volley of abuse against the visiting manager. Wes Brown, booked early on, seemed to be doing his best to get himself sent off. Nemanja Vidic did not even appear, despite being named on the teamsheet, and Ferguson seemed unwilling to dwell on the Serb's explanation that he was not fit enough to play. The majority of the Leeds attacks came down the United left, patrolled by the unfamiliar combination of Welbeck and Fabio da Silva. The goal came straight down the middle, like a Nicklaus one-iron, propelled by Howson and chased by Beckford and Brown. The man in white got there first and slid his shot from an acute angle between defender and goalkeeper. Kuszczak may have come too early but with more than 70 minutes remaining, United's task did not appear especially daunting.
However, as the minutes drifted by and Ferguson threw on his great talisman Ryan Giggs, a man old enough to recall the pain of 1992 when Leeds overhauled Manchester United to seize the title, an equaliser appeared ever less likely. Yorkshire voices suddenly began singing about Wembley, a venue which in recent years for Leeds has come to be associated with the Johnstone's Paint Trophy rather than the FA Cup.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Kuszczak; Neville, Brown, Evans, F.Da Silva; Obertan (Giggs, 57), Gibson, Anderson (Owen, 69), Welbeck (Valencia, 57); Rooney, Berbatov. Substitutes not used: Amos (gk) Tosic, Carrick, R.Da Silva. Booked: Brown, Gibson. Leeds United (4-4-2): Ankergren; Crowe, Kisnorbo, Naylor, Hughes (White, 90); Howson (Snodgrass, 77), Doyle, Kilkenny, Johnson; Becchio (Michalik, 88), Beckford. Substitutes not used: Martin (gk), Prutton, Grella, Capaldi. Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside). Booked: Man Utd: Brown, Gibson; Leeds Johnson, Naylor. Attendance: 74,526. Man of the match: Beckford.
Grayson's glory hints at return to classic values
James Lawton, page 4
ed with the withdrawal of Nemanja Vidic just before kick-off. According to the club's assistant manager, Mike Phelan, the Serb defender injured himself in the warm-up and told Ferguson he was not fit to play. Significantly, given Vidic's reported desire for a transfer, Ferguson's only comment on the centre-half was a curt: "I could not tell you what the situation is with Nemanja." Ferguson, who even during the Yorkshire club's great revival at the turn of the century, had never before lost to Leeds at Old Trafford, was critical of referee Chris Foy's decision to award five minutes of stoppage time, calling it "an insult to the game and the players out there." By saying that, Ferguson risks triggering the two-match ban which was suspended by the FA after his criticism of referee Alan Wiley's fitness. However, rarely did Manchester United look like breaking through. "I was shocked at the performance," Ferguson acknowledged afterwards.
"We didn't start right and Leeds did. They fought like tigers but you expect that from any team coming to Old Trafford. I don't think any of our players can say they had a good day apart from Antonio Valencia when we got the ball to him � but that took about 10 minutes. It's a disappointment. Human beings can always surprise you but we didn't expect that." After becoming the first Leeds manager since Allan Clarke in 1981 to oversee a victory at Old Trafford, Simon Grayson acknowledged he might have a fight to retain the services of goalscorer, Jermaine Beckford, who is out of contract at the end of a season in which he has now scored 20 times. Newcastle are among a number of clubs thought to be interested in the 26-year-old's services. "We have stressed there will be three scenarios with Jermaine," said Grayson. "He signs a new contract, he leaves at the end of the season or we sell him and get some money, if we think it is too good an opportunity to turn down. "He has shown here what he is all about. He has worked ever so hard for the team, he has taken his opportunity, he has scored five goals in the last three games. Strikers are a precious community and Leeds won't be letting him go on the cheap. We hope we don't have to sell him but money talks with any player."
Bite-size
Manchester United lost to lower league opposition in the FA Cup for the first time since 1984 at Bournemouth. Leeds' win was the 99th time in the Premier League era that a top-flight team has gone out of the FA Cup to lower league opposition.
4
SPORT FOOTBALL
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Grayson's glorious achievement hints at return to classic values
Leeds' powerful statement of footballing intent shows that they have not lost sight of club's heritage
James Lawton
Chief Sports Writer
owever you want to debate the enduring appeal of the FA Cup � 10 years after it was sold out when the holders, Manchester United, were urged by the FA and Fifa to compete instead in some wretched, money-grabbing World Club tournament fiasco in South America � we have to accept that some time ago it became a matter of convenience. It is something to be used when deemed necessary. However, it is important to take the stupendous performance of Leeds United at Old Trafford yesterday out of the equation. You should do this because, strictly speaking, it wasn't so much about the magic of the oldest and most romantic club competition in football, the one that could hardly draw flies in places like Wigan and Middlesbrough and Milton Keynes. It was mostly to do with the unbreakable allure of football, the one which will always carry the hope that the next match will be the one when everything changes. The appeal, this was, of a game which sooner or later has a tendency to return to classic values. Whether Leeds continue to perform heroics in the competition that has been betrayed so many times by the sheer weight of pressure to chase the rising financial rewards that can be so precisely measured league by league, TV contract by TV contract, was certainly something left in the margins of a brilliant victory. What Leeds were exemplifying was not any inordinate love of competing for the old silver � indeed, the star of the show, Jermaine Beckford, may well be dressing himself in new colours long before the end of this month's transfer window � but the ability of players, with the right handling and proper leadership, to respond to the greatest challenge of their lives. When Peter Lorimer declared on these pages 48 hours ago that he saw a lot of the young Don Revie in Simon Grayson, the 40-year-old manager
H
Leeds' Richard Naylor vies with Wayne Rooney yesterday PA
who handled the greatest triumph of his career with such superb composure and easily drawn perspective, there may have been an understandable inclination to indulge the old hero in a little bit of hubris. He had, after all, watched the club he once represented with such power and pride, go into one of the most vertiginous descents in the history of organised football. And now he was about to visit an old hunting ground to cheer on a uniformly committed team who had brought his old club away from the abyss of bankruptcy and, as runaway leaders of the third tier of English football, given at least the promise of a new dawn. He couldn't resist drawing the Revie parallel because of the way this Leeds team played, with such tremendous vigour and professional intensity. He had, after all, been reminded of those days when Leeds simply refused to give quarter. He was hearing echoes of the past and yesterday anyone who knew anything of that old Leeds team would surely have heard them too.
What was impressive was not the result achieved, but the way Grayson's team played
"This," said Lorimer, "could be a huge milestone. It can fill the club with new belief." No, United were not at their strongest. The defensive weight and assurance that is left on the sidelines when Rio Ferdinand and Nemenja Vidic are missing remains profound, but by the end of the match Sir Alex Ferguson had thrown a formidable battery of talent at the team who, when the pressure was applied most clinically, were supposed to become no more than white-clad ghosts of the past. Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen all had chances and when Antonio Valencia appeared he brought some clinical touches which threatened to undermine Leeds. But the point was this new Leeds, like the old new Leeds, could not be undermined.
Indeed, in the end the margin could have been three goals, with Beckford almost grazing a post and Robert Snodgrass, a young Glaswegian footballer who seemed more than anything like a throwback to those days when either of those descriptions was guaranteed to earn a high level of respect, smashed a free-kick against the woodwork. It wasn't the fact that Leeds somehow survived a lead created so beautifully by Johnny Howson's perfectly flighted pass and Beckford's killer finish. Such things happen; more powerful teams are trapped in misadventure and rising pressure, and sometimes their opponents find salvation only with the help of a platoon of guardian angels. This was not the Old Trafford scenario. What was impressive was not the result Grayson's team achieved, but the way they played. Lorimer is right about Grayson, at least this is the instinct here. When Revie brought Leeds into the First Division they were far from
the finished article. They had demonstrably major players, of course. Bobby Collins, the godfather, and John Giles, who had vowed to make Sir Matt Busby rue the day he sold him off for �30,000, was an increasingly brilliant lieutenant. There was the young scrapper Billy Bremner, also, and the reformed and re-dedicated Jack Charlton, but when they challenged the football establishment � when they lost the title to the United of Law, Charlton and Best, on goal average only, and surrendered the FA Cup to Bill Shankly's Liverpool in extra-time � they were still very much a work in progress. Their most vital quality was that they refused to accept the concept of defeat. They ran the feet off their opposition. They didn't know when to quit � and so it was yesterday when, in the end, it was Grayson's team who were doing the most significant running, and presenting the greatest threat. Reading were Leeds's suddenly pale rivals in the matter of the result of the weekend. They drew with Liverpool but, fine effort though it was, in the end you sensed that they were ready to settle for that, even when Liverpool again disappeared into the vortex of lost confidence and rhythm they have been creating for themselves more or less all season. United were far from cohesive but they didn't drop their heads; they didn't yield the impression that they would be outraged by the impertinence of defeat by a team two divisions below them in the rankings of English football. The Leeds roll-call of heroes was full but long after you extolled the fight and the nerve of men like goalkeeper Casper Ankorgren and his resolute co-defenders Patrick Kosnorbo, Richard Naylor, Andy Hughes and Jason Crowe, and the wit of Beckford and the strength and willingness of the big Matthew Johnson, you were left with something that ran deeper than a collection of fine individual performances. You had the extraordinary resonance that comes when a team fulfils all its objectives. This wasn't just another Cup upset. It was a statement about the future, from a team who so plainly are on the move.
The stuff of legend Other famous FA Cup third-round upsets
WALSALL 2 ARSENAL 0 14 January 1933 The hosts were in the Third Division and had not won for a month, but upset the form book to beat a Herbert Chapman side that would go on to win the title.
n
leading to the departure of Phil Taylor and the arrival of one Bill Shankly. HEREFORD 2 NEWCASTLE 1 5 February 1972 After a commendable 2-2 draw at St James' Park, Southern League Hereford went one better in the replay thanks in part to Ronnie Radford's 35yard screamer of an equaliser in the Edgar Street mud.
n
BIRMINGHAM 1 ALTRINCHAM 2 14 January 1986 The hosts were on their way down and had not won in 16. Robert Hopkins scored twice, one into his own net against David Seaman, as the Alliance League side left St Andrews victorious.
n
Hanlan embarrassed the 1987 winners at Gander Green Lane in the last nonleague win over a top-flight team. WREXHAM 2 ARSENAL 1 4 January 1992 Bottom of the Fourth Division welcomed the champions � and a Mickey Thomas thunderbolt and a Steve Watkin strike stunned the visitors. James Mariner
n
WORCESTER 2 LIVERPOOL 1 15 January 1959 Second Division Liverpool were surprised at the Southern League side,
n
Sutton's Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlan toast victory in 1989 GETTY
SUTTON 2 COVENTRY 1 7 January 1989 Strikes from Tony Rains and Matthew
n
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
FOOTBALL SPORT
5
Arsenal indebted to Ramsey
Sam Wallace
Football Correspondent
WEST HAM UNITED
Diamanti 45
1 2
ARSENAL
Ramsey 76, Eduardo 82
IN 2007, he was just a 17-year-old kid on the bench for Cardiff City but Aaron Ramsey has come a long way since that day at Wembley. In fact, Ramsey has graduated to running the midfield of one of the most sophisticated teams in Europe. No Cesc Fabregas, no problem for Arsenal. Not with the 19-year-old Welsh midfielder taking care of matters in the centre of midfield and calmly seeing off another FA Cup shock. Ramsey (pictured) scored Arsenal's equaliser yesterday, his second in two games, and it was his performance that was the defining factor before Eduardo da Silva settled matters with eight minutes remaining. With Fabregas out of the side and not expected back until the game against Everton on Saturday, Ramsey is doing a fine job of taking his opportunity to play in the Arsenal first team. This is a teenager who can pass, tackle and score goals. He is known as "Rambo" to his teammates but then in terms of finesse there is a bit more Rimbaud than Sylvester Stallone to his game. It could so easily have been embarrassing for Arsenal, who
only scored their equaliser to Alessandro Diamanti's goal with 14 minutes left, having gradually taken control of the game, with Ramsey integral. He may not be in the team by the time Arsenal play Stoke City in the FA Cup fourth round later this month, but the Wales international has sent a clear signal to his manager that he is comfortable on the big stage. Wenger said at the start of the season he set Ramsey a target of playing "15-20 games". "It looks like he will get there very quickly," said the Arsenal manager. "He can play on the flanks and at full-back. He is physically very strong and his best position is central midfield because he is a goalscorer." While Ramsey flourished, his teenage amigo Jack Wilshere strugAaron Ramsey hauled Arsenal level
AFP/GETTY
Eduardo heads in the winner at Upton Park last night to send Arsenal into the fourth round of the Cup PA/AFP/GETTY
gled to make an impression. Any judgement should take into consideration the fact he only turned 18 on Friday, but given the great strides he made last season you could sense his frustration yesterday. To put it bluntly, Wilshere had a stinker. When he comes to look back upon what should be a great career, he will remember yesterday as one of those occasions when virtually nothing went right for him. It happens, but for a young man desperate to make his mark in the professional game it must have been chastening that Arsenal's goals came after he was substituted. As for Wilshere's desire to go out on loan, Wenger said he would have to wait until some of Arsenal's nine injured players return. Even Andrei Arshavin was unavailable for yesterday's game with a foot injury. "He [Wilshere] needs to play because when he does get games he feels under pressure to deliver something special," Wenger said. "I have no worries for him. We need players to come back before he can go out on loan." This was not quite Wenger's best team � Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri were substitutes and you
suspect Arshavin would have played if necessary � but it was close. Amid all the hysteria surrounding weakened teams in the FA Cup, Wenger gave the most sensible assessment of his priorities. "The FA Cup matters to me," he said. "The team I picked was [selected] because I wanted to win. The problem is that we played Saturday, Wednesday, against West Ham [yesterday] and then we play Bolton on Wednesday and Everton on Saturday. You cannot play every game with the same 11 players." There were some unfamiliar faces in the West Ham team too, with Gianfranco Zola giving Frank Nouble and Franco Daprela their first starts. Nouble is still just 18 years-old, a �1m signing from Chelsea's academy in the summer, and at times yesterday he was overwhelmed. For his age he is a very powerful player and when he harnesses that, he will be a contender. The unfortunate Wilshere was partly involved in Diamanti's goal for West Ham in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Valon Behrami's pass struck him on its way through to the Italian. Diamanti held the line perfectly, William Gallas played him onside
and he beat Lukasz Fabianski to the goalkeeper's left side. Ramsey's goal came as West Ham tired. Alex Song, who departs for the African Cup of Nations in Angola today, played in Carlos Vela who, via a deflection, laid it off to Ramsey. His left-footed shot was too powerful for Robert Green. The England goalkeeper should have done a lot better with the winning goal, a tame header from Eduardo that looped over him. Zola was upbeat, praising the effort of an inexperienced side which he said struggled to keep pace with Arsenal when Diaby and Nasri came on for the last 25 minutes. Wenger said his plans for the transfer window activity would depend on whether the "big guns" Manchester City and Chelsea spent their money in the Premier League or abroad. The way Arsenal look now, they might just have enough resources.
West Ham (4-4-2): Green; Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Daprela; Diamanti, Kovac, Behrami, Stanislas (Edgar, 87); Jimeenz, Nouble (Sears, 76). Substitutes not used: Stech (gk), Da Costa, Payne, Lee, N'Gala. Arsenal (4-3-3): Fabianski; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Silvestre; Ramsey, Song, Merida (Diaby, 65); Wilshere (Nasri, 65), Vela, Eduardo. Substitutes not used: Mannone (gk), Traore, Eastmond, Emmanuel-Thomas, Gilbert. Booked: West Ham Daprela; Arsenal Song. Referee: M Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear). Man of the match: Ramsey. Attendance: 25,549.
Climate means no change for Pulis' men
Parslow (og) 24, Fuller 25, Etherington 58
STOKE CITY
3 1
Barrett 22
YORK CITY
By James Corrigan
OF ALL the Premier League sides to "contest" the FA Cup this weekend none featured more first-teamers than Stoke City. And, seeing as they were home to a non-League outfit, Tony Pulis must be classed as a member of that dying breed of old romantics. Indeed, the Welshman delivered a speech on behalf of the famous competition after watching his millionaires come back from an early deficit to advance to the fourth round. "The York players are a credit to their club," he said. "And so are their supporters. To bring nearly 5,000 here is absolutely fantastic. It's a real tribute to the FA Cup. We in the Premier League sometimes undervalue this competition." Still, Pulis is not about to sacrifice
Stoke City's Matthew Etherington (second left) celebrates after scoring GETTY
the bread and butter for the icing and the cherry. He admitted that one of the principle reasons why he rested only Abdoulaye Faye on Saturday was because of the recent cold snap. "We haven't been able to train the last couple of days because of weather conditions," he said. "So I had a good chat
with the players and said `look it's a three-game week, so we'll cut back on the training'." In other words, with Fulham visiting tomorrow, Pulis used their Blue Square Premier visitors as sparring partners � and for 60 seconds, at least, York appeared capable of delivering a
knockout blow. When Neil Barrett, a former Chelsea youth team-mate of John Terry, glanced in a header in the 22nd the stage seemed set for a delicious Cup fairytale. Because of the snow causing chaos on the M62 and M6, the Minstermen did not arrive until 3pm. The referee had put the kick-off back to 3.30pm but was about to call a postponement when the bus pulled up. With Martin Foyle, already at the Britannia Stadium due to living in the Potteries, there was the bizarre scenario of a manager submitting his teamsheet with his team stuck in traffic 30 miles away. Yet Foyle's men eventually arrived, changed into their strips in record time and ran out for the most cursory of warm-ups. And it was not until Rory Delap delivered his two bombs that the dream began to implode. Just a minute after Barrett's career moment, the unfortunate Darren Parslow turned a trademark Delap throw-in into his on net and then, another 60 seconds later, Ricardo Fuller further
capitalised on York's aerial confusion. "That throw-in is a tremendous asset," said Foyle. "It's a missile that could keep Stoke in the Premier League again." Who knows, it could even win Stoke an FA Cup.
Stoke City (4-4-2): Sorensen (Simonsen 46); Huth, Cort, Higginbotham, Collins; Lawrence, Delap, Whitehead, Etherington; Beattie (Tuncay, 74), Fuller (Sidibe 80). Substitutes not used: Whelan, Pugh, Tonge, Wilkinson. York City: Ingham; Parslow (Purkiss 64), McGurk (Ferrell 88), Graham, Meredith (Gall 64); Lawless, Barrett, Mackin, Carruthers, Rankine, Brodie. Substitutes not used: Mimms, Gash, Pacquette, Sangare. Referee: M Jones (Cheshire). Bookings: Stoke: Delap, Huth. York: Graham, Meredith, Mackin, Ferrell. Man of the match: Delap. Attendance: 15,586.
Bite-size
West Ham have beaten Arsenal just once in nine home games � 1-0, in November 2006. Ars�ne Wenger has faced the Hammers three times in cup competitions, and won each time: League Cup and FA Cup 1998 and FA Cup 2010.
6
SPORT FOOTBALL
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Sturridge plugs gap at Chelsea
Sturridge 5, 68, Eustace og 14, Malouda 21, Lampard 63
CHELSEA
5
WATFORD
By Mark Fleming
0
CHELSEA'S transfer policy bore fruit yesterday, six months down the line. Speculation is rife about who they might sign during the January transfer window, but it was two players recruited last summer who were behind this thrashing of Watford. One arrived at Chelsea with a big reputation; the other came with a big price tag. Daniel Sturridge was tipped as one of the most promising young English players around when he joined from Manchester City on 3 July, for a transfer fee due to be settled by tribunal later this month. Three days later Yuri Zhirkov joined from CSKA Moscow for a fee of �18m. Both players have taken their time to find their feet; Sturridge suffering from a loss of confidence while Zhirkov has been troubled with a persistent knee injury. The visit of Watford provided both players with an opportunity to showcase their talents, an opportunity that both seized with
understandable relief. Sturridge, 20, caught the eye with two well-taken goals, his first for the club in his eighth appearance, five of which have come from the bench. Sturridge opened the Watford gap with a perfunctory finish at the far post after John Terry had hit a low shot across goal. His second, Chelsea's fifth, was a better finish, a tidy touch and shot after an exquisite pass from Zhirkov had released Ashley Cole to cross from the left. He should have had a hat-trick but for a fine one-handed save from Watford keeper Scott Loach, after Zhirkov had put him in the clear. It could prove to be a key moment for the England under-21 international who has been promised a run in the team by manager Carlo Ancelotti while Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are away on African Nations Cup duty. Playing in the centre of a three-pronged strikeforce with Florent Malouda on the left and Joe Cole on the right, Sturridge led the line with energy and skill. Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, was impressed with Sturridge's contribution. "This performance for him was very important," Ancelotti said. "It'll improve his confidence, his possibilities. He has a lot of potential and great
quality, and he can show that now. He scored two goals and that's important for a striker, to score. He played very well for the whole match." Ancelotti gave Sturridge treatment normally reserved for key players such as Drogba when he replaced him with 20 minutes to go. The manager showed his appreciation with a handshake, a hug and a pat on the back. Zhirkov also provided evidence to suggest his fee might not be yet another case of Chelsea paying over the odds. He was bright and inventive, tidy on the ball but with the ability to provide a moment of unexpected subtlety.
Competition for places is fierce on the left side for Chelsea, but Zhirkov did enough to demonstrate he will be pushing for a start now he has finally regained full fitness. The game was over almost as soon as it had begun. Sturridge put Chelsea ahead in the fifth minute, and the FA Cup holders doubled their advantage after 14 minutes. Joe Cole's volley from Malouda's cross provoked chaotic scenes among the Watford defence. The ball struck Adrian Mariappa and then hit Frank Lampard's backside before John Eustace's attempt to clear ricocheted into his own head and into
the Watford goal. Chelsea's third was scrappy too, coming when Zhirkov's shot was deflected past Loach thanks to a heavy deflection off Malouda who claimed the goal. A swerving shot by Frank Lampard from 25 yards that wobbled and dipped its way into the Watford goal brought Chelsea's fourth. Remarkably it was only his second goal from open play this season. Watford made little impact, and forced just one save from Henrique Hilario in the Chelsea goal, a header by Jay Demerit from a corner, to cheer the 6,000 visiting fans sitting in the Shed End. All in all a perfect day for
Burnley braced for Coyle's departure
Morgan 89
MK DONS
1 2
Alexander pen 23, Fletcher 35
BURNLEY
By Glenn Moore
THE binmen of Burnley look set for a busy week as thousands of Owen Coyle facemasks are tossed into the town's recycling system. Once the must-have accoutrement for Turf Moor regulars it seems they are about to become as redundant as last week's Christmas trees. Burnley chairman Barry Kilby is braced for a phone call, this morning, from Phil Gartside, his Bolton Wanderers counterpart, asking for permission to speak to Coyle. Kilby's instinct will be to refuse but it seems increasingly clear that Coyle wants to go and the conversation will eventually turn to how much compensation can be wrung out of Bolton owner Eddie Davies. A figure of �4m has been reported but that seems exaggerated given Coyle is unlikely to be on as much as �1m-a-year. Burnley supporters will be bitter, but no more than St Johnstone fans after Coyle left Perth for Lancashire two years ago. Ostensibly the 20-mile switch seems
an odd one, a sideways move at best, but after a decade around the Premier League Bolton's infrastructure is far superior to Burnley's and there is a sense that the latter may have, for the moment, risen as far as they can. Coyle also has an attachment to Bolton, having spent two seasons there from 199395, and may feel he owes Gartside, who recommended him to Burnley. Coyle refused to speak to the media after Saturday's victory. Club officials said he had to dash off to catch a flight back to visit family in Scotland but no one believed this was anything but a red herring. By avoiding questions Coyle did not have to lie, but his silence spoke volumes. In his absence his assistant, Sandy Stewart, was flung to the pack. Stewart said he could not speak for Coyle, and had not discussed the issue with him, but added he would expect to go with Coyle should he move. Stewart also struck a valedictory note when he said, "We think we have done a reasonable job at Burnley. We have put them in good standing." If Coyle does leave he will be one short of 50 victories in the Burnley dug-out, Saturday's match being his 49th success in 116 games. As befits a manager who first came to note overseeing cup runs, both sides of the bor-
Bolton ease through `Future looks positive'
BOLTON'S caretaker manager, Chris Evans, believes he will hand over a healthy legacy to a new appointee � a legacy that includes a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup after the Wanderers beat Lincoln City 4-0. "The manager who comes in has every reason to look forward to a positive future for this football club," Evans insisted. The voices that were raised in a sparse 11,000 crowd � that would have been even sparser but for Gary Megson's sacking � were all in favour of that manager being Burnley's Owen Coyle, but Evans was not assisting in any guessing games. The key for him was progress in a competition he sees as special. That was achieved thanks to four secondhalf goals despite a creditable display from the League Two strugglers.
Fletcher onside, allowing him to convert Chris Eagles' pass. Had MK's finishing matched their approach play, notably that involving the excellent Jason Puncheon, they could have snatched a draw, but Dean Morgan's 89th-minute goal was too late. The League One side were left to reflect on taking another small step to establishing their own identity. Burnley were the first professional visitors to Milton Keynes, six years ago, when MK Dons still went by the name of Wimbledon, the club whose identity they purloined. While that move remainscontroversial the huge difference between the basic National Hockey Stadium, which hosted Burnley then, and this putative World Cup venue, underlines the club's progress. The swathes of empty seats suggested Pete Winkleman's message has yet to reach much of the Milton Keynes public, but the sight of so many young faces in the ones that were occupied augured well for the future.
MK Dons (4-3-3): Gueret; Howell, Woodards, Doumbe, Lewington; Puncheon, Gleeson, Leven (Stirling 78); Easter (Morgan 78), Wilbraham, Baldock (Chadwick 55). Substitutes not used: Johnson, Carrington, Gobern, Powell. Burnley (4-4-2): Jensen; Eckersley, Duff, Bikey, Kalvenes; Elliott, Alexander, McDonald (Gudjonsson 70), Eagles; Blake; Fletcher (Thompson 87). Substitutes not used: Penny (gk), Edgar, Easton, Guerrero, Harvey. Referee: T Bates (Staffs). Booked: MK Dons: Easter, Doumbe Man of the match: Puncheon Attendance: 11,816
Owen Coyle acknowledges the fans after Burnley's third-round victory PA
der, Coyle picked a full-strength side for this third-round tie and was rewarded with a straightforward win. It helped that MK Dons gifted them two goals in 12 first-half minutes. Gra-
ham Alexander tucked away a spotkick with his usual aplomb after Mathias Doumbe had felled Steven Fletcher in the box following an error by Craig Lewington. Doumbe then played
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
FOOTBALL SPORT
7
McDermott makes his Moyes seeks out positives mark but Reds survive as Everton limp through
Church 24
READING
1 1
Gerrard 36
LIVERPOOL
By Steve Tongue
APPROACHING his opposite number for a handshake after Saturday's game, Reading's caretaker manager Brian McDermott realised he was unsure of the appropriate form of address. "I called him Mr Benitez," he said. "What did he call me? I don't think he knew my name." Football fans all over the country would have been equally unfamiliar with the bald, bespectacled chief scout in charge of a league team for only the fourth time. Asked if he will still be there for the replay on Wednesday week, he admitted: "I wouldn't have a clue." But the face is likely to grow more familiar, with Reading in no hurry to secure a permanent replacement for Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked after four months of the season. Last year was a dreadful year for Reading, full not so much of what-mighthave-beens as what ought to have been. Winning at home to Birmingham City on the final day of last season would have ensured automatic promotion straight back to the Premier League but the game was lost, as was the play-off semifinal with Burnley. Steve Coppell felt obliged to resign, players like Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt were sold, and the Madjeski Stadium, once something of a fortress, continued to become a gift shop. Astonishingly, Reading have won just one home League game since last January.
Striker Simon Church (left) celebrates scoring Reading's goal GETTY IMAGES
Daniel Sturridge celebrates his first goal for Chelsea in the FA Cup win over Watford REUTERS
Ancelotti, who brushed aside a newspaper interview given by Malouda moaning about his lack of first-team chances. "There's no problem. It's normal that a player wants to play every game," he said. Chelsea were drawn to play Preston away in the fourth round.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hilario; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, A Cole (Kakuta 74); Lampard, Belletti (Matic 64), Zhirkov; J Cole, Sturridge (Borini 70), Malouda. Substitutes not used: Turnbull (gk), Carvalho, Ballack, Ferreira. Watford (4-5-1): Loach; Hodson, Mariappa, Demerit, Doyley; Cowie (Harley 80), Severin (Jenkins h-t), Eustace, Lansbury, Cleverley; Graham (Henderson 80) Substitues not used: Lee (gk), Bennett, Hoskins, Kiernan. Referee: K Friend (Leics) Booked: Chelsea: Booked: Belletti, J Cole, Matic. Watford: Hodson, Eustace, Lansbury, Cleverley. Man of the Match: Zhirkov Attendance: 40,912
On Saturday, however, McDermott's team showed less respect to illustrious opponents than he did to Benitez and it is a reasonable assumption that the 31 text messages on his phone after the final whistle were highly complimentary. Feeble in a 4-1 defeat at Plymouth last Monday that cemented their parlous position in the Championship � two points off relegation � Reading reduced Liverpool to a curious performance, good in parts but even then not good enough to see off modest opposition. In the end it was just as well that Benitez, aware of the need to win a trophy this season, did not emulate other Premier League managers in sending out so many reserves. Were he the kind of manager to believe in omens rather than such mantras as "working hard" and "small details", he might
even have recalled that the one campaign in which he won the Cup involved a televised Saturday evening third-round tie at Luton where Liverpool were 3-1 down. Jamie Carragher recalled that game on Saturday night, admitting: "All the praise and credit goes to Reading and it was similar to the game we had at Luton. Towards the end we were making sure we didn't lose it because they had a few setpieces." Conceding another goal to one of them, Simon Church bundling the ball in following a deep free-kick, again raised the question of Benitez's preference for zonal marking. He is unlikely to undergo a conversion, however, whatever happens on the road to Wembley or anywhere else: "Every week I can see a lot of highlights and you see man-to-man marking conceding goals. The last four or five games we didn't concede so we are much better now. We have to keep working at set-pieces, but I felt that we are not worse than other teams. Everybody knows that it is the best way for us to defend." The best way to attack, meanwhile, is to give the ball to Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres, whose importance to the team bears continued restatement. Torres missed with two headers, but Liverpool's captain, abetted by Dirk Kuyt's clever movement, was credited with another crucial goal.
Reading (4-4-2): Federici (Hamer 69); Gunnarsson, Mills, Ingimarsson, Bertrand; McAnuff, Cisse (Howard 74), Karacan, Sigurdsson; Rasiak (Long 77), Church. Substitutes not used: Tabb, Kebe, Robson-Kanu, Pearce. Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Darby, Skrtel, Carragher, Insua; Kuyt, Lucas, Gerrard, Aurelio (Benayoun 79); N'Gog (Aquilani 68), Torres. Substitutes not used: Cavalieri (gk), Kyrgiakos, Basbale, Spearing, Degen. Referee: M Atkinson. Booked: Reading: Mills Liverpool: Insua. Man of the match: McAnuff. Attendance: 23,656.
Vaughan 12, Cahill 82, Baines pen 90
EVERTON
3 1
Hurst 18
CARLISLE UNITED
By Jon Culley
PERHAPS unsurprisingly, after a difficult second half of 2009, Everton are keen to see good omens in a winning start to 2010, even in the wake of a result that left them feeling a little sorry for Carlisle. "The scoreline totally flattered us," their captain, Phil Neville, conceded, after a Tim Cahill goal with eight minutes left, followed by a stoppage-time penalty, had turned 1-1 into 3-1. Those thoughts were echoed by his manager, David Moyes, who has found optimism hard to maintain over the last few months, during which the Premier League form of an injury-hit squad has faltered badly. "I cannot be disappointed with the result," he said. "We had nine players injured and two away at the African Nations Cup, plus one suspended," Moyes said. Set up to mirror Everton, Carlisle conceded an early goal when James
Tim Cahill put Everton ahead when he shot home in the 82nd minute against Carlisle
Allardyce questions Bleak future for Diouf's punishment struggling Boro
Delfouneso 12, Cuellar 37, Carew pen 90
ASTON VILLA
3
Kalinic 55
BLACKBURN ROVERS 1
By David Instone
SAM ALLARDYCE'S determination to fight his corner has clearly not been blunted by his mid-season appointment with a surgeon, nor by the indifference Premier League clubs now habitually show to the FA Cup's early rounds. In a tepid tie that was nevertheless high on talking points, the forthright Blackburn Rovers manager found a curious main topic for debate with the loss of El-Hadji Diouf for tomorrow night's second part of the January cup trilogy with Aston Villa. The petulant forward made a slow, kiss-blowing departure just before half-time for a two-footed lunge into the back of his Senegalese compatriot Habib Beye and will miss the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final at Ewood Park, and possibly the return if the FA takes a dim view of his delay in leaving the pitch.
Allardyce questioned Howard Webb's straight red card, insisting that the official couldn't have seen the assault properly. "He will have to battle with himself over that one," he said. "Did he really see Dioufy do what he says he did? There were players in the way." It seemed an unusual logic to apply over a decision that was palpably correct, however it was reached. Villa, leading against 11 men through headed goals by Nathan Delfouneso and Carlos Cuellar from pinpoint crosses by the excellent Ashley Young, won relatively comfortably despite the jolt their keeper Brad Guzan gave them by gifting Nikola Kalanic a goal early in the second half. John Carew eventually rolled one in at the other end, ensuring the scoreline offered a truer reflection of the match.
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Guzan; Beye, Collins, Cuellar, Warnock; Downing, Reo-Coker, Delph (Sidwell, 45), A Young; Heskey, Delfouneso (Carew, 75). Substitutes not used: Friedel (gk), L Young, Dunne, Albrighton, Petrov. Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Brown; Chimbonda, Jones, Givet, Olsson; Salgado (Rigters, 76), Dunn (Khizanishvili, 55), Reid, Diouf; Di Santo (Pedersen, 45), Kalinic. Substitutes not used: Robinson (gk), Doran, Hoilett, Gunning. Referee: H Webb (South Yorkshire). Booked: Aston Villa Reo-Coker; Blackburn Salgado. Sent off: Blackburn Diouf (42). Man of the match: Young. Attendance: 25,453.
MIDDLESBROUGH
Benjani 45
0 1
MANCHESTER CITY
By Gordon Tynan
MIDDLESBROUGH are taking their empathy for the region's ailing heavy industry too far, because at present it is a football club dying on its feet. Steve Gibson is helping orchestrate the campaign to prevent Teesside's Corus steelworks becoming the latest major employer to close. However, the Middlesbrough chairman might like to concentrate his efforts a little nearer to home to prevent the club he saved from extinction 20 years ago from emulating Leeds United and their opponents here, Manchester City, in making the journey from top to third tier with indecent haste. Having dispensed with the services of Gareth Southgate when Boro were a point off top spot on the premise that crowds were falling to unacceptable levels, Gibson must shoulder much of the blame for less than 10,000 home fans turning out for this match.
Middlesbrough have won just twice since the Scot took charge, and it's hard to believe it was the same City who were put to the sword 8-1 here a little over 18 months ago. Strachan conceded: "I don't imagine four years ago our fans would've thought we'd end a game like this with two teenagers up front and a loan player who'd come back to do us a favour." The match was decided by Benjani's first goal for more than a year and City keeper Shay Given later indicated he had already seen enough from new manager Roberto Mancini to suggest the rancour over Mark Hughes's acrimonious departure will be short-lived. "I've been impressed," the Irishman insisted. "His English is not perfect but he's learning quickly and I like the way he knows what he wants from his teams. He's just changed little things here and there and it's worked."
Middlesbrough (4-5-1): Coyne; McMahon, Wheater, Riggott, Hoyte; Franks, O'Neil, Williams, Arca (L Williams, 71), Johnson (Emnes, 32; Yeates, 57); Bent. Substitutes not used: Steele (gk), Grounds, Bennett, Shawky. Manchester City (4-3-2-1): Given; Zabaleta, Richards (Barry 46), Boyata, Garrido; Weiss (Bellamy 73), Kompany, De Jong (Tevez 46); Petrov, Sylvinho; Benjani. Substitutes not used: Taylor (gk), Trippier, Tutte, Vidal. Referee: S Attwell (Nuneaton). Booked: Middlesbrough O'Neil; Man City Garrido, Barry. Man of the match: Petrov. Attendance: 12,474.
Vaughan intercepted Adam Clayton's backpass but equalised quickly when Clayton's shot, half-saved by Howard, was helped over the line by Kevan Hurst. Thereafter, they held their own with Clayton, 20, and Tom Taiwo, 19, the game's brightest players. If there was a turning point, it came when Everton keeper Tim Howard's fingertip touch on Danny Livesey's 71st-minute volley sent the ball ricocheting fortuitously into the crossbar, narrowly preventing Carlisle taking a 2-1 lead. Carlisle deserved a replay but, with eight minutes left, referee Jon Moss allowed Everton substitute Seamus Coleman the benefit of the doubt when he barged roughly past Matt Robson and the defender's cross resulted in an opportunistic goal for Cahill. A foul by goalkeeper Adam Collin on substitute striker Keiran Agard then allowed Leighton Baines to give the scoreline a misleading look.
Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard; Hibbert (Coleman, 80), Heitinga, Neill, Baines; Neville, Fellaini; Bilyaletdinov, Cahill, Pienaar; Vaughan (Agard, 86). Substitutes nut used: Nash (gk), Duffy, Forshaw, Baxter, Mustafi. Carlisle United (4-2-3-1): Collin; Keogh, Livesey, Harte, Horwood; Clayton, Taiwo; Hurst, Kavanagh (Anyinsah, 85), Robson; Pericard (Dobie, 77). Substitutes not used: Ridgeley (gk), Bridge-Wilkinson, Murphy, Burns, Kane. Referee: J Moss (W Yorkshire). Bookings: Everton Fellaini, Neville; Carlisle: Collin. Man of the match: Taiwo. Attendance: 31,196.
Bite-size
Everton have now won all four cup meetings with Carlisle, adding to 4-2 and 2-0 away wins in the 1930 and 1968 FA Cups respectively, and a 2-0 League Cup win in 1975. Carlisle have won both league games between the two, in the 1974/75 season.
8
SPORT FOOTBALL
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Wigan running on empty
FA CUP ROUND-UP
2 Sparse crowd see Charles N'Zogbia guide the Latics to a place in round four
By Ally McKay
NEITHER Wigan nor Hull need the distraction of the FA Cup this season, with the spectre of relegation looming over them, but you would have thought the clubs' fans would have enjoyed the prospect of an all-Premier League third-round tie. Still, only 5,335 turned out at the DW Stadium on Saturday to see the home side win 4-1 and progress into the fourth round after two-goal substitute Charles N'Zogbia sparked a second-half fightback. The first half was a drab affair as the players appeared to struggle to get going in the empty stadium. The only moment of class came from Hull's Geovanni, whose stunning free-kick opened the scoring after 35 minutes. However, N'Zogbia's half-time introduction proved inspired as he quickly struck twice and set up another for James McCarthy. Scott Sinclair then put the seal on an entertaining second half by wrapping up victory with a fine individual effort in the last minute. Coventry held cash-strapped Portsmouth to a 1-1 draw at Fratton when through on goal with only Lee Camp to beat. Fraizer Campbell struck his first goals for three months to head Sunderland into the fourth round at the expense of non-leaguers Barrow. The Blue Square Premier side had put the wind up Steve Bruce's men in a storming start which saw Phil Bolland, Paul Bond and Marc Goodfellow all go close. But Steed Malbranque's 17thminute opener set the home side on their way in freezing conditions and Campbell's brace in the second period saw the Premier League side home. Campbell, whose only previous goal this season came in the Carling Cup against Birmingham in September, broke the hearts of around 8,000 away fans massed in the South Stand. There is far too much FA Cup tradition at White Hart Lane for anyone to take the competition anything but seriously. And Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp got the club's 2010 challenge rolling when he sent out his strongest possible side to steamroller Championship strugglers Peterborough. Two goals from Niko Kranjcar, a strike from Jermain Defoe and a late penalty from Robbie Keane were the vital statistics in a 4-0 triumph. Bobby Zamora did his chances of an England call-up no harm as he fired Fulham to a scrappy win over Swindon. Zamora coolly lifted the ball over David Lucas to score the winner after 16 minutes, his fourth goal in five games.
I wish that I had never left Old Trafford, says Beckham
By Jon Nisbet
DAVID BECKHAM wishes he had stayed with Manchester United for his entire career and not left in 2003 for Real Madrid, the former England captain said yesterday. Beckham will return to Old Trafford as a player for the first time when his club Milan play the second leg of the Champions League knockout-round tie against United on 10 March. "I would love to have stayed at Manchester United for my whole career and never gone anywhere else � but it was just not meant to be," Beckham said. "I went to Real Madrid and in the last year we were successful so I enjoyed that time, but I would like to have stayed at Manchester United." Beckham moved to Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 and has now started his second loan spell at Milan in a bid to win a place in England's World Cup squad this year. The midfielder said he felt envious of his former team mates Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, who came through the United youth ranks with Beckham and have stayed at the club.
David Beckham will return to former club Manchester United with his Milan side in March
The Wigan and Hull mascots have plenty of room at the DW Stadium PA
Park to set up a richly deserved replay. The Sky Blues went ahead against the run of play after half an hour thanks to a brilliant 20-yard effort from David Bell. Kevin-Prince Boateng nodded a leveller for the Premier League side in first-half stoppage time, but the troubled 2008 FA Cup winners never looked like finishing off Chris Coleman's resilient side. Nottingham Forest and Birmingham both kept their unbeaten runs going as the country's two in-form
sides could not be separated. It should not have been that way, however, as both sides had chances to ensure a replay at St Andrews on 12 January would not be necessary. Robert Earnshaw was the prime culprit, putting a 62nd-minute penalty over the crossbar. Luke Chambers hit the woodwork for Forest and Chris Cohen spurned a one-on-one opportunity. At the other end, Kevin Phillips struck a post and was also denied
Guardiola `may quit at end of season'
Euro Zone
By Pete Jenson
BARCELONA coach Pep Guardiola could leave his job at the end of the season and take a break from football, according to his father. The 38year-old, who won six trophies in his first season in charge, has not signed an extension to his contract which runs out at the end of the season and Valenti Guardiola has hinted his son is considering a sabbatical. Guardiola snr said: "I don't know if [he] will stay at Barcelona [beyond the end of the season] or if he will take a break from football and relax. The dad is always the last to know about these things." Guardiola broke Terry Venables' 25-year-old record of league matches unbeaten with a 1-1 draw against Villarreal. Venables' Bar�a squad went 15 games without losing in the league in the '84-85 season and this point made it 16 for Guardiola's team, although with Real Madrid now too close for comfort it was a draw that tasted like defeat. Pedro scored on seven minutes from a rebound after Thierry Henry hooked a Dani Alves cross on to the bar. But after having two clear penalty claims turned down Villarreal equalised through David Fuster.
McCulloch swoops to leave Celtic banging their heads
McDonald 79 McCulloch 81
CELTIC
1 1
RANGERS
By Ronnie Esplin
LEE MCCULLOCH believes Celtic's players will be "banging their heads against the wall" after missing a series of chances in the Old Firm derby at Parkhead. The Ibrox midfielder headed an equaliser two minutes after Celtic substitute Scott McDonald had nodded the home side into a 79thminute lead. That drama came after the hosts had squandered a series of chances as well as having a goal denied in the first half by referee Steve Conroy, who adjudged Marc-Antoine Fortune to have fouled Gers goalkeeper Allan McGregor in an aerial challenge. McCulloch acknowledged the pressure Rangers had been put under for most of the afternoon. "They will be banging their heads against the wall thinking `why did we not win that game?'" he said. "It showed great character for us to come back into the game, grab the goal and hang on. I hope it does a lot [of psychological damage to Celtic's title hopes]. I don't know how much time was left when they scored but their players and crowd got a lift from it. That's when we started to come into the game and maybe it was only going to be a set-piece that we
Lee McCulloch celebrates scoring Rangers' equaliser against Celtic GETTY IMAGES
would score from but the goal could go a long way as we come to the most important part of the season." Rangers remain seven points clear of Celtic and their manager, Walter Smith, was deadpan as he stated his belief that Conroy had made the right decision to chalk off Fortune's goal. "I thought it was a foul," he said. "I don't need to look at the repeats, they don't matter." He thought Celtic's dominance could have come from their greater desire to get the result, adding: "I think it was Barry Ferguson who mentioned that the motivation is greater for the team who face the situation where they could go a number of points behind the other team. That can be a massive
motivation for you and maybe we have seen a Celtic team who were fully motivated while we were off the pace. Celtic were far brighter, imposed themselves on the game far better and we were fortunate to get away with the draw. "Although Allan McGregor had only one outstanding save, Celtic had a number of misses and that left us with an opportunity to get back in the game. So it was a far better draw for us than Celtic and they will feel aggrieved that they didn't win it."
Celtic (4-4-2): Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, Daniel Fox; McGeady, Crosas (McDonald, 71), N'Guemo, Robson; Samaras, Fortune. Substitutes not used: Zaluska, McManus, McGinn, Zhi, Thompson, Caddis. Rangers (4-4-2): McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Wilson, Papac; Lafferty, Davis, McCulloch, Whittaker; Novo (Edu, 13), Boyd. Substitutes not used: Alexander, Smith, Fleck, Little, Ness, Wylde. Referee: S Conroy (Scotland).
"I am sure they will all try and kick me if they can because we were together for so many years and we were so successful together," Beckham said. "Off the field we became best friends and that's why we became so successful at a club like Manchester United. "It's testament to themselves because they wouldn't be at a club like Manchester United if they weren't special people and special players." Beckham said going back to Old Trafford would be an emotional occasion. "Manchester United is so special to me and I have never been back as a player � so to go back seven years after as a Milan player is perfect. It is an experience I want to cherish. It is going to be a special and emotional night. "I'd like us to win, us being Milan. As a Manchester United fan I always want them to win in every game � but not this one." Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 116 appearances, said that "scary" Fabio Capello had instilled a "good arrogance" in the England team since becoming coach. "Players go onto the field confident, they believe they are going to win. He has brought a real seriousness, a professional side, which was needed � but he scares you � in a respectful way." He said there were similarities between Capello and Sir Alex Ferguson, his manager at Manchester United. "I was lucky enough to have played for the best football manager for many years. Alex Ferguson brought me up, he was a father figure to me and I have got a huge amount of respect for Alex Ferguson and for Fabio Capello."
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
FOOTBALL SPORT
9
Sam Wallace
Talking Football
Stop worrying about the future of the Cup � it gets the respect it deserves
C
ome the week before FA Cup third-round weekend there is an old custom regarding foreign managers and players at English clubs. At some point, tradition dictates that the foreign chap in question will earnestly be asked what the FA Cup means to him. Did he watch it on telly as a kid? Does he know about the magic of the Cup? It is a peculiarly English arrogance that supposes Roberto Mancini would have been glued to Spurs against Queens Park Rangers in 1982. Or assumes that barely a day goes by when Andrei Arshavin does not recall Andy Linighan's goal for Arsenal in the replay against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. It is the FA Cup after all. Saying you don't really care about it is one of the last great national taboos: like voting BNP or attending a Cliff Richard concert. These days there is another tradition that has become more crucial to FA Cup third-round day than even the games: that is the relatively modern tradition of debating whether the
Irvine merited loyalty bonus, not the sack
ALAN IRVINE, regarded as one of the most promising managers in the Championship, led Preston North End to the play-offs last season with a transfer budget much less generous than the other teams around him. Seven months on he has been sacked. Irvine (below) turned down the chance to manage West Bromwich Albion in the summer. Preston slipped to 16th with a bad run of results and he was sacked. If Everton had followed the same logic when Irvine was David Moyes' assistant they would have got rid of Moyes in 2004 when his team finished 17th and missed out on all the subsequent success he brought the club. Irvine is an intelligent and decent bloke who put everything into his job. He deserved more time.
Here's a radical theory: the FA Cup is actually in relatively decent shape
FA Cup is being taken seriously or not. That is why we spend so much time cross-examining foreign players about the competition in the secret fear that they are not really interested. Or agonise about managers who have different priorities. Here's a radical theory: the FA Cup is actually in relatively decent shape. On Saturday there was a lot of hand-wringing over the low attendances at places like Middlesbrough and Wigan. By yesterday afternoon, when Manchester United had been humiliated by Leeds United at Old Trafford in one of the biggest thirdround shocks in living memory, everything was okay with the FA Cup again. The result at Old Trafford illustrated how difficult it is to generalise about the competition. There will
Leeds United's Michael Doyle celebrates yesterday's FA Cup victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford REUTERS
always be dreadful games in any competition. There will always be ties that fail to spark the imagination, like Wigan against Hull, for which a crowd of 5,335 seems a little on the generous side. Manchester United against Leeds was different; that was a tie that would always have an edge to it. In these pragmatic times it is a wonder that most clubs still bother. After all, we live in an age when Mick McCarthy effectively surrendered Wolves' Premier League game at Old Trafford as early in the season as
Coyle choice shows how Celtic have fallen
IT COMES as a surprise that Owen Coyle might regards Bolton Wanderers as a better option than Burnley. While Coyle (right) has operated on the lowest transfer budget of any promoted team, he has built an incredible spirit at the club. The win over Manchester United at Turf Moor was the most atmospheric night of the season so far. But it says something about the parlous state of Scottish football that Coyle would turn down the chance to manage Celtic, his boyhood team, and then, seven months later, come to regard Bolton as a better option.
big teams, give or take the December because he had occasional anomaly. one eye on a relegation These days it is ever crunch match against more restricted to Burnley. Yet in the the big four � who FA Cup this weekhave won 16 FA end, the likes of Cups out of the Leeds, Reading, David Beckham said yesterday last 18 � but it was Peterborough, that he never wanted to leave Carlisle, Swindon Manchester United. Those of us who not that much and Lincoln still remember the details of that never- more egalitarian in football's golden gave it a go against ending transfer saga back age. Premier League in 2003 would have to say he In the 1960s, when opposition. had a funny way of football was much less Some managers have showing it. divided by wealth, the FA to make the pragmatic Cup was won by teams finishing choice not to play a full-strength in the top eight for six out of the 10 team when they find themselves in years between 1960 and 1969. The the midst of a league programme. lowest ranked club to win it in that Others, like Leeds' Simon Grayson, decade were Manchester United, can see the value in giving their playwho finished 19th when they won the ers the experience of playing on the Cup in 1963. They won the league biggest stage. But there is no obligatitle two years later with much the tion for them to venerate the FA Cup same team. when their jobs are ultimately For the smaller clubs, there has dependent on the progress they always been precious little chance of make in the League. winning the competition � West Ham Despite all their other priorities, attitudes towards the FA Cup among in 1980 were the last team outside clubs and fans are healthy particular- the top-flight to do it � so the attraction for them lies in a lucrative cup ly in light of the fact that winning it run. A cup run generates revenue has always been the preserve of the
Beckham had us all fooled
and excitement but for the hardheaded it is ultimately futile unless you bring the trophy home. A run of wins in the league, however, can push a team up to the play-off places or beyond. Despite the apocalyptic fears for its future and Manchester United's withdrawal in 2000, the FA Cup has proved robust. Whether we like it or not, modern football is dictated by league football. There are huge financial rewards for reaching the Premier League. In the Football League, there are major implications for going up and down between divisions. The FA Cup has to exist alongside these new financial imperatives. Yet, for all this, most of the time the FA Cup is still taken seriously. For all the empty seats at the DW Stadium, it still produces great games like yesterday's match at Old Trafford. The competition's place in the life of English football might have changed from the 1950s but we should be glad that it still has the ability to surprise us. We should not need the reassurance of our foreign players and managers to tell us that.
10 SPORT CRICKET
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
England frustrated as Kallis refuses to be moved
Stephen Brenkley
Cricket Correspondent at Newlands
South Africa's Jacques Kallis hits a four to bring up his century at Newlands yesterday GETTY IMAGES
S AFRICA ENGLAND
279-6
THERE are those who still insist that asking the opposition to bat in a Test match is either brave or foolish. Or both. They live and die, but suspect they will live, by the adage that if a captain should think of bowling he should still bat. If he is still in two minds he should quickly signal to a senior lieutenant and if the senior lieutenant responds that it is definitely worth bowling, the captain should bat. Having no doubt ingested this dictum with his mother's milk, Andrew Strauss, England's captain, won the toss for the second time in the series yesterday and for the second time, with all to play for at Newlands, invited South Africa to bat. Last time, it almost went horribly wrong when England were left hanging on with one wicket left in Centurion. But the point, as Strauss might stress, is that they hung on. By the early close yesterday, South Africa were 279 for six, the interpretation of which is that they have nosed in front. South Africa, who were again propped up by their durable old dependable Jacques Kallis, would be quietly satisfied after a start that
threatened disaster. Kallis, in characteristic "thou shalt not pass" fashion, ensured it did not. Towards the end of the day, after four hours, with his 11th four off his 173rd ball, he reached his 50th firstclass hundred � his 33rd in Tests, his seventh against England, his sixth at Newlands, his second of the series. It was much like most of those that had preceded it, exuding solidity, neither rushing nor strolling. He is the sort of batsman that clocks can be set by. Kallis and Mark Boucher shared an important partnership of 89 for the sixth wicket, before Kallis and Dale Steyn put on 63 and counting for the seventh � both partnerships enough to give Strauss pause for thought about old adages. England would hardly be in despair, thinking that if they can contain their opponents a total south of 400, they have the scope to bat them to distraction on a pitch likely to become flatter for a day or two. The tourists, however, would acknowledge that they could and should have done better. Their three seamers, especially Jimmy Anderson, bowled their socks off. At times in his first spell in the morning and his second in the afternoon, Anderson made the ball talk, bowling mostly in-swing and making the ball reverse. Anderson can be maddeningly inconsistent for the leader of the attack but this was one of those days on which he deserved better. Stuart Broad bowled astutely while
Graham Onions had his moment early on. There were two wickets in two balls for Graeme Swann, but also a sense that South Africa were coming to terms with him. For once, he was not allowed to dictate terms. It was cloudy but warm in the morning and a sprinkling of rain delayed the start by an hour. Table Mountain was shrouded in mist and had disappeared from view. The combination was irresistible to Strauss. The first over was all he could have craved. Anderson had been swinging the ball round corners during practice and he did so again early in the South African innings. His fourth ball lifted and curved away from Ashwell Prince, the last sort of ball that a struggling opening batsman needs. Perhaps the most crucial moment
came in the next over. Onions was the bowler, Graeme Smith the batsman. The ball went across Smith and he pushed hard at it, only to edge to Swann at second slip. The ball went at waist height � the direction of choice
Test centuries scored by Jacques Kallis after his heroics in Cape Town yesterday
33
for a slip � but Swann failed to grasp it, even on a desperate second attempt. Had Kallis had to come in then, with his captain gone, things might have been different. As it is, he was not long delayed because Hashim Alma, always
an lbw candidate who had already survived a review for a catch behind, was undone by a beauty from Onions which he played across. To offer a player of Smith's high calibre an escape of the sort Swann permitted is tantamount to an invitation to score a hundred. In the event, Smith declined, dismissed by the first ball he received after lunch � another humdinger from Anderson which swung late, lifted, found the edge and produced a lovely diving catch from Matt Prior. Strauss looked the smartest man in cricket at this point and when he introduced Swann into the attack his stock increased further. For once, the new star of English cricket did not strike in his first over, but strike he did in his eighth � and twice. AB de Villiers
Turning points How the action unfolded on day one
11.02am Prince goes out with swinger Ashwell Prince out to the fourth ball of the match, a brutal, late swinging lifter from Jimmy Anderson. 11.04am Name dropper Graeme Smith dropped by Graeme Swann off Graham Onions � never can so many men of the same(ish) name been involved in one dismissal. As second slip catches go it was straightforward. Has the magic touch deserted Swann with the new year? 11.15am Na�ve review England ask for a review of an appeal for a catch behind. Replays are inconclusive and the not out verdict stands. 1.16pm Prior engages Smith is out to his first ball after lunch, an excellent catch at the wicket by Matt Prior, diving in front of slip, another snorter from Anderson. Andrew Strauss (left) turns away after Graeme 2.22pm Swann (right, standing) dropped Graeme Smith Walking on air in the slips early yesterday GETTY An appeal for a catch behind against AB de Villiers, on 24, is rejected. After catching the ball Matt Prior had whipped off the bails and replays show de Villiers was actually out stumped, his back foot in the air. The square leg umpire should have seen. 2.43pm De Villiers' clipped out De Villiers clips to short mid-wicket. 2.44pm Duminy dummy JP Duminy is out first ball for the second successive innings, edging a turning delivery. 3.23pm Nifty fifty Ominous for England as Jacques Kallis pushes a single for his 53rd Test fifty. 4.35pm Boucher stakes his claim Boucher completes his 31st Test fifty, his fifth against England, for whom he perpetually reserves his best. 5.45pm Shot to Trott Kallis edges Anderson wide of Trott at third slip. This is the nearest he gets to a chance.
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
CRICKET SPORT 11
`In that mood you can feel the aura around him'
By Stephen Brenkley
JACQUES KALLIS does not do pizzazz. He does reliability. His idea of getting excited is probably to raise an eyebrow. It does not twitch often. If Brian Lara was the song-anddance man of batsmanship, Kallis is the Shakespearean practitioner. Before this series started the entire South African nation was worried about the state of Kallis's rib, which was broken. It ought not to have been. Kallis has recovered to take his place in the middle order, holding it up on those enormously broad shoulders � in the real and figurative senses � from the pivotal position of No 4. South Africa were in deep trouble at 51 for three and 127 for five, though it would have been impossible to tell from Kallis's countenance. He blocked a few and he played the occasional bobby dazzler of a stroke, a crisp on drive against Stuart Broad early on standing out. His 33rd Test hundred, it always seemed, was merely a matter of time, three minutes over four hours as it turned out. Just about spot on. Kallis's innings are memorable for being unmemorable. The board ticks inexorably on. When he batted with Mark Boucher in a sixth wicket stand of 87 the manner in which they ran and responded to different situations was almost telepathic "He's my next door neighbour as well as my friend so we know each other very well indeed," Boucher said. "We know each other's games and it's good to bat with him when he gets in that mood, you can feel the aura around him." Boucher, as he put it, has measured his career by how players perform when the chips are down. They were down yesterday and he reacted accordingly, inspired by his neighbour at the other end. It was a stand that England have to break, probably deserved to break considering the manner in which they had bowled in helpful conditions in the morning. Jimmy Anderson was a delight to watch and both his wickets were the products of vicious, lifting away swingers to left-handers. "I'd say it was a very good decision to bowl first," said Anderson putting the doubters in their place. "The ball was swinging round a lot in the conditions and with the rain around it made it a very easy decision. "Anywhere between six and 10 wickets is what you should expect when you decide to bowl first but the decision was not based just on the morning conditions but the forecast for the rest of the week is pretty good and days two and three might be good to bat on that pitch." Like everybody else, he was in awe of the way in which Kallis batted and knows that the key to the future of
"I probably haven't come across anyone who is as difficult to bowl at"
JAMES ANDERSON LAUDS JACQUES KALLIS (RIGHT)
drove rather sloppily towards short mid-wicket. Next ball, JP Duminy, who a year ago could do no wrong and now can do no right, was done every which way by a turning ball that he feathered behind. He is a rabbit in headlights, a walking wicket. It is for positions like 127 for five that Boucher was made. He scampered and harried while Kallis merely plugged away at his own pace. England needed a wicket when Broad, in an intelligent spell, got one to nip back. Boucher reviewed his leg-before dismissal to no avail. Steyn justified his promotion to number eight and when the sides went off shortly after the second new ball arrived, England had achieved the bare minimum of what their decision to bowl first demanded.
Newlands scoreboard
Cape Town (First day of five) South Africa have scored 279 runs for 6 wickets England won toss SOUTH AFRICA First Innings *G Smith c Prior b Anderson ..............................................30 50 balls 3 fours A Prince c Prior b Anderson..................................................0 3 balls H Amla lbw b Onions ..........................................................14 56 balls 2 fours J Kallis not out ..................................................................108 188 balls 11 fours A de Villiers c Strauss b Swann............................................36 60 balls 4 fours J Duminy c Prior b Swann......................................................0 1 ball M Boucher lbw b Broad ....................................................51 86 balls 7 fours D Steyn not out....................................................................26 57 balls 3 fours Extras (lb 12, w 1, nb 1) ..............................................14 Total (6 wkts, 83.2 overs).......................................279 Fall: 1-1 (Prince), 2-46 (Amla), 3-51 (Smith), 4-127 (de Villiers), 5-127 (Duminy), 6-216 (Boucher). To Bat: M Morkel, P L Harris, F L de Wet. Bowling: J Anderson 20-1-62-2 (w1nb1) (6-1-11-1, 5-0-20-1, 4-0-10-0, 3-0-11-0, 2-0-10-0),G Onions 18.2-3-60-1(4-1-13-0, 4-1-10-1, 5-1-12-0, 4-0-23-0, 1.2-0-2-0), S Broad 19-5-54-1 (93-29-0, 5-2-10-0, 5-1-15-1), G Swann 22-1-74-2 (14-1-55-2, 3-07-0, 5-0-12-0), K Pietersen 4-0-17-0 (1-0-4-0, 3-0-13-0). Progress First day: 50 in 18.5 overs, Lunch 51-2 (Smith 30, Kallis 1) 19.0 overs, 100 in 31.4 overs, 150 in 48.5 overs, Tea 183-5 (Kallis 55, Boucher 37) 57.0 overs, 200in 60.3 overs, 250 in 76.1 overs. Kallis 50:106 balls, 6 fours. Kallis 100:173 balls, 11 fours. Boucher 50: 79 balls, 7 fours. England: *A J Strauss, A N Cook, I J L Trott, K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood, I R Bell, M J Prior, S C J Broad, G P Swann, J M Anderson, G Onions. Umpires: D J Harper & A L Hill TV replay umpire : Aleem Dar Match referee: R S Mahanama
this match lies, for England, in his early removal. He did not look like he was moving anywhere. "I probably haven't come across anybody who's as difficult to bowl at, he's right up there," said Anderson. "He's very patient, plays the ball very late and on such a slow pitch it makes it very difficult to find an edge. That makes him difficult to deal with. The lateness with which he plays the ball is incredible, and even when the ball is reversing he can pick it which makes it harder still." Kallis's Test batting average before the match at Newlands, his home ground, was 65. It was his third consecutive hundred there against England. He looked distinctly unexcited.
Asif exploits tricky wicket to humiliate fragile Aussies
AUSTRALIA PAKISTAN
By Brian McKenna
AT THE SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND
127 14-0
AUSTRALIAN batsman Mike Hussey insisted a testing SCG wicket was not entirely to blame for his side's dire batting on day one of the second Test against Pakistan. Hussey was one of just four batsmen to reach double figures on a rainshortened opening day, which saw the hosts bundled out for 127 after
Ricky Ponting bravely opted to bat on an old-fashioned green top. While the Western Australian admitted conditions heavily favoured the bowlers, he was adamant the hosts should have done better in front of a crowd of 29,844. "I don't think it was a 127 all out pitch," Hussey said. "They did bowl well and credit where credit is due ... but I think at the end of the day we are disappointed to be bowled out for 127." Asked if the captain consulted his team-mates before making his decision, Hussey explained: "We didn't really discuss it. I think it was left up to Ricky and probably the coaches and
Michael Clarke as vice-captain to discuss that." But the 34-year-old revealed he had a light-hearted chat to the skipper on the eve of the match. "I did joke with Ricky one day before the game, saying that he batted at Johan-
"I played so badly here in 2004-05 they sent me home"
MOHAMMAD ASIF
nesburg in the first Test against South Africa and that wicket had branches growing off it," Hussey said. "So I didn't think he'd bowl first on any wicket in the world and that was sort of proved again today, I guess." Pakistan destroyer Mohammad Asif said he was happy to erase the nightmare of his most recent visit to the SCG in 2005, after ripping through the hosts to post career-best figures of six for 41 in his 16th Test match. "I had a very bad memory when I had a debut in this ground in 2004-05 and after that Test match they sent me back home," the 27-year-old explained. "So I just wanted to clean up the
whole memory, so I just did and I'm very happy now." Pakistan resumed overnight at 14 for no loss.
Bite-size
Australia's total was their lowest Test score for 13 years, since they were bowled out for 122 in a six-wicket defeat against the West Indies at Melbourne in December 1996. It was also their second lowest total batting first at the SCG.
12 SPORT
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
From Africa to Australia
The Ashes, a British title tussle in Formula One, the World Cup: 2010 promises to be enthralling
Football The greatest show on earth � and England have a chance
THE 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa in June promise to be the most exciting, absorbing World Cup at which England have a great chance of progressing since, well, since the last one in 2006. This is a World Cup season and gradually all thoughts lead towards it. Carlton Cole's knee injury is ultimately regarded not in terms of its effect on West Ham's season but on his chances of making the squad in May. Wayne Rooney's form is great for Manchester United, but can he please make sure he's on it come June? There are some club partisans would adopt the Ars�ne "for fuck's sake" Wenger approach to the World Cup: he lost it when he was asked about the risk for England of bringing Theo Walcott back too early. Those fans � mainly among the big four clubs � who claim loyalty only to their own club do it because they think it's uncool to be seen to want England to do well. They're wrong, wrong, wrong. A World Cup finals reFabio Capello's England will carry the hopes of a nation to South Africa mains the pinnacle of football. Historically it was a mesmerising event because, in the days before blanket Sky Sports football coverage, it gave an insight into exotic foreign football nations and players we knew so little about. But even now, when you can watch foreign leagues on television all week, it retains that ability to captivate. Unlike the Premier League and the Champions League, the chances of a shock at the World Cup are so much higher. That this tournament is being played in Africa for the first time just adds to the sense of adventure. Seeing the likes of Chile and Ghana up against England is such a thrilling alternative to another over-hyped Uefa matchday six dead rubber from Stade Gerland. As for the players, those superstars of the Champions League and beyond, there is something about the purity of international football that has an eternal appeal. They can always leave their clubs for a better option. But their nationality is part of them and their identity. It just gives the football that extra edge. Sam Wallace, Football Correspondent
Formula One Britons do battle for supremacy
IF LAST season was dominated by events off-track, the coming campaign for once promises to keep attention focused firmly on the sport's raison d'etre. Back comes Michael Schumacher, who turned 41 yesterday, while not since Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost came together at McLaren in the late Eighties has a new-look team been so eagerly awaited. When Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button line up on the starting grid at the Bahrain Grand Prix in March it will signal the competitive beginning of a sporting relationship that will be examined in intricate detail. While it seems improbable that it will go the same way as Senna and Prost and end in bitterness, accusation and rancour, it nevertheless makes the forthcoming season one to potentially savour, especially if you hail from these isles. Button may be the world champion and have seven years more experience in F1 than his new team-mate, but it will be Hamilton who, to begin with, is the main man in the first team to feature two British world champions since Graham Hill and Jim Clark drove for Lotus in 1968. It is not a move that has met with universal acclaim. Jackie
Tennis A great rivalry to be renewed
FOR SOME, the first signs of spring are daffodils and snowdrops. For others, it is the sound of a cuckoo. For tennis watchers, it is the Monte Carlo Masters. The traditional start to the European outdoor season takes place in early April at a club with the most spectacular location in tennis, perched on a hillside above the Mediterranean with views across to one of the world's most famous harbours. When the spring sun is shining, there is no more joyous place to watch tennis. While the setting is enough to take your breath away, the tournament is also the perfect moment to look ahead to the most exciting three months of the tennis season. The Australian Open in January is the year's first Grand Slam competition and outdoor Masters Series tournaments will already have been held in Indian Wells and Miami, but this is the first event of real consequence in Europe, the sport's historic heartland. For those of us on this side of the Atlantic, the clay and grass court seasons are still the core of the tennis year. An added attraction this year will be the chance to assess whether Rafael Nadal (below, right, with Roger Federer) can dominate again on clay courts in the way he had until that extraordinary day last May when he was beaten at the French Open for the first time. Robin Soderling's victory prompted the Spaniard to take more than two months off nursing his injured knees and after his return he failed to win another tournament. The clay court season should be an intriguing one. Until last year, Nadal had consistently got the better of Federer on the Spaniard's favourite surface, but after finally succeeding in his quest to win the French Open title, the six-times Wimbledon champion will fancy his chances of toppling the king of clay. Paul Newman, Tennis Correspondent
The world champion, Jenson Button (right), will vie with his compatriot Lewis Hamilton at McLaren during this year's F1 season GETTY IMAGES Stewart described the 29-year-old's switch as "walking into the lion's den". After a four-year sabbatical, what is Schumacher walking into at Mercedes? His fitness is up to scratch and with his enduring competitive nature and Ross Brawn the brains behind the team it would be no surprise to see him on top of a podium for the 92nd time. "Nobody knows what will happen in 2010," sums up Button, "which is why it is so exciting." Robin Scott-Elliot, Sports News Correspondent
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
SPORT 13
a year of drama awaits
for sport-lovers. Our correspondents pick out the big events that you really can't afford to miss
Golf How will Woods fare on comeback trail?
THIS is golf's Waiting For Godot year. Hanging around, fretting about the sport's existence while they wait for this stranger to appear. That stranger is, of course, Tiger Woods � unrecognisable from the Tiger Woods who came before. This new, imperfect incarnation has so many questions to answer. Obviously, the first is when and where he will reappear. Many take it that he will be at Augusta but I cannot believe he will not miss at least one Major. If he doesn't, few will take his period of supposed penance seriously. If I am right and if, for the first time in 16 years, the Masters finds itself Tigerless then expect any number of features asking "Who will fill the Tiger void?" Also anticipate Rory McIlroy being the protagonist in these musings. The brilliant Ulsterman's time is still a few years away. Nobody is yet equipped to fill the hole, certainly in America. The effect will be quickly measured in dollars, with Bloomberg putting the estimated loss at $100m-plus as the casual fan turns off and the advertisers go with him. As the PGA Tour desperately tries to convince sponsors that the fairway is still better than the highway, the waiting for Woods will reach frenzied levels. Whatever the rest of they world may feel, his sport will be ready to forgive him anything and anyone. Just come back. Please. Except here's the thing. Will Woods still be Woods? Naturally his Expect Tiger Woods to miss at least one major image will be radically different and thus, by necessity, so will the salespitch. But what about the way Woods sees Woods? Will he fight his way through the inevitable circus to that first tee and still be able to regard the rest as a bunch of unworthy mortals? Or is he now one of them? Fallible, flawed, vulnerable. Essentially this will be the query which frames the rest of Woods' career. 2010 could be the most important year in modern golf. James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent WE ALL know, surely, what will be the most riveting moment of the new sports year. It will come in Johannesburg when the World Cup finalists walk out into the superb stadium which is fashioned so spectacularly in the shape and colours of a great cooking pot, and which sits on the borders of Soweto like some exotic invitation to another planet. There will of course be an inevitable sadness in that almost all the inhabitants of the township, who to each man and boy adore the world's most popular game, will be obliged to watch the most important football game played in any four-year cycle on the big screens. However, there could be an extraordinary bonus � and certainly it is at the top of the wishlist compiled here. It is that an African team will take on one of the giants of Europe or South America, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Argentina or, who knows, Fabio Capello's England. Bafana Bafana, the team of South Africa, have perhaps more than enough to do fighting out of their group, but maybe the Ivory Coast of Didier Drogba or the Ghana of Michael Essien can generate enough momentum on the soil of their native continent. Such a prospect would carry football on to a new dimension, something separate from the accumulations of power most easily attributed to financial strength. It would be a drumbeat of passion, a massive statement about the magical properties of the game that has so long held the world in thrall. James Lawton, Chief Sports Writer
Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba, England's Wayne Rooney and Michael Essien of Ghana will relish playing for national pride at the World Cup GETTY/REUTERS
Cricket Ponting plots Ashes revenge
LAST TIME England won the Ashes they held them for 462 days. They surrendered them in the most inauspicious of circumstances by losing the return series 5-0. It was as grotesque a defence as could be imagined and Australia in general and Ricky Ponting in particular extracted full vengeance for what had been inflicted on them in England the previous year. Ponting (below) is plotting something similar this time. Every day's cricket that he and his team play is aimed at one target. Australia want back what they think rightfully belongs to them and on 25 November in Brisbane they intend to have peaked. From that morning on until the end of the series on 7 January � five Test matches in six weeks � they will not rest, they will attempt every trick in a wellstocked book, they will cajole, intimidate and beguile. They will play tough, attractive Test cricket designed to pummel the Poms. It is what they were put on earth do. The prospect is delightful. England, however, will not be so easily bullied in this re-match. Back in 2005 they allowed themselves to become flabby on their success. That will not happen again. England will be ready this time. All the evidence suggests that Australia are not as powerful as they once were. Determination and cussedness cannot by themselves make up for class and talent. As was shown in the summer, there are frailties that did not exist in recent incarnations, and England have that irreplaceable commodity, self-belief. It may easily be a rematch between the sides ranked fourth and fifth in the world, but that will not matter. What matters is that Australia are playing England for the Ashes once more, and England can win a series Down Under for the first time in a quarter of a century. Stephen Brenkley, Cricket Correspondent
Rugby Union The Murrayfield mire
IT IS an odd choice for a prospective highlight: grim, macabre, full of fear and loathing. But the Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England at Murrayfield in the middle of March will be required viewing for all sorts of reasons, most of them entirely negative but nonetheless compelling. If the Autumn internationals confirmed anything, it was the poverty of the attacking game on either side of the border. It is so long since either country moved the ball with anything resembling style that the Emperor Hadrian and his unusually long wall seem recent by comparison. Yet there can be a quirky fascination about a contest between two sides incapable of scoring tries, especially when one of the coaches finds himself plotting against his own. Andy Robinson was the best forwards strategist England ever had, helped, it has to be said, by the presence of Martin Johnson in the boilerhouse of his pack. Robinson is now head coach of Scotland, while Johnson (right) manages England. Both men are fiercely patriotic, but in a John Bull competition, the man based in Edinburgh would still shade the man with an office at Twickenham. In a fixture awash with psychological peculiarities, this might be the strangest one of all. England have no love for the Murrayfield experience: when they lose there, as they have done on four occasions since 1990, it is always by six points, in a fog of confusion and frustration. Some of their very worst performances have been saved for Calcutta Cup day and the way things have been going just recently, we are probably due another dog's breakfast. If Robinson will be on edge, Johnson will be edgier still. Bring it on. Chris Hewett, Rugby Union Correspondent
Continued on page 14
14 SPORT Racing St Nicholas Abbey's future is written in the Stars
CHAMPION thoroughbreds do not always announce themselves with full brass and percussion. This time last year Sea The Stars could not have been named as a more obviously superior prospect for the Classics than maybe a dozen others. And there have been many occasions when horses have shown eye-watering talent in their first season only to be overtaken by less precocious rivals as three-year-olds. Experience teaches us a certain wariness, then, in identifying St Nicholas Abbey as a colt with the world at his feet in 2010. As it stands, however, his record � comprising three increasingly brilliant wins from three starts � warrants terrific excitement both for its style and substance. Having cruised past a top-class field for the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on his final start, St Nicholas Abbey is hot favourite for both the 2,000 Guineas and Derby. That double had not been achieved for two decades until Sea The Stars, but everything about this colt suggests it to be a legitimate aspiration. A son of the mighty Montjeu, he is trained by the record-breaking Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle, Co Tipperary. And while his pedigree is replete with the stamina required for a mile and a
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Rugby League Good things come in threes
IF SPORT thrives on concentrations of talent, 2010 should be a very good season to be watching rugby league. Within a few miles of each other, three young half-backs of similarly glittering potential will be continuing what should be their exciting development. Richie Myler, Sam Tomkins and Kyle Eastmond all played for England in last season's Four Nations. Myler, the youngest of the trio at 19, started as the man in possession, but lost his place, so he will be under particular scrutiny as he resumes his career at his new club, Warrington. He is the most classically orthodox half-back of the three and only needs to repair his slightly dented confidence to have a memorable season. For Tomkins, 2009 was an unforgettable campaign. He admits that he expected to play only a handful of first-team games at Wigan; instead, he held his place through the second half of the season and finished the year as England's standoff. His qualities hit you in the face as soon as you see him play. He is a devastating broken-field runner, with a wonderful eye for a gap and freakish balance. What he needs is to develop the play-making side of his game, but he appears to have the rugby intelligence to do exactly that. Much the same can be said of Eastmond, who played much of the season in the centres for Saints, but whose future surely lies in the halves. He is sometimes compared to a young Jason Robinson � and he has the strength and speed that comparison suggests. Which of the three will make the most rapid progress is anyone's bet, but we are spoilt for choice like rarely before. Dave Hadfield, Rugby League Correspondent
St Nicholas Abbey's three wins, with Johnny Murtagh in the saddle, suggest an exciting future for the colt GETTY IMAGES half at Epsom, he has also shown such coruscating speed that he can surely prove a Guineas colt as well. That is why the first red-letter day in the 2010 Turf calendar is May Day. Assuming all goes well for O'Brien in the spring, Saturday 1 May is when St Nicholas Abbey will line up for the first Classic of the season, over a mile at Newmarket. Less than 100 seconds after the stalls open we will know whether he can sustain this audacious impersonation of Sea The Stars. In the meantime, that prospect will be keeping plenty of us warm during the worst nights of winter. Chris McGrath Racing Correspondent
Athletics Time to conquer Europe
BARCELONA: such a beautiful horizon. The spine still tingles at the memory of the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe collaboration ringing out over the Montjuic Stadium as the track and field events of the 1992 Olympic Games unfolded on the giant hill in the heart of the Catalan capital. We are likely to hear an awful lot more of it when Barcelona's Olympic Stadium plays host to the European Championships from 27 July to 1 August. Happily, from a parochial point of view, we are likely to hear quite a bit of the British national anthem too. At the last European Championships, in Gothenburg in 2006, for the first time in the history of the event there were no British winners in any of the individual events � just one gold medal success courtesy of the combined efforts of the men's 4 x 100m relay team. In Barcelona it promises to be very different. Had the World Championships in Berlin last August incorporated a continental championship, there would have been a staggering eleven European golds for Britain's runners, jumpers and throwers. In addition to Phillips Idowu (triple jump) and Jessica Ennis (heptathlon), who both took world titles, the following also finished on top of the pile among the European athletes: Dwain Chambers (100m), Mo Farah (5,000m), William Sharman (110m hurdles), Greg Rutherford (long jump), Emily Freeman (200m), Jenny Meadows (800m), Lisa Dobriskey (1500m) and the men's 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relay teams. Such has been the transformation in Britain's track and field fortunes since the appointment of Dutchman Charles van Commenee as head coach of UK Athletics, the horizon is looking distinctly rosy not just for Barcelona in 2010 but for London in 2012 too. Simon Turnbull, Athletics Correspondent
GET YOUR FREE GLOSSY MAGAZINE
Out tomorrow exclusively with The Independent
BEYOND THE ORDINARY. THE RED BULLETIN.
Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu and Dwain Chambers are among several British gold medal hopes at the European Championships AFP/GETTY/DAVID ASHDOWN
Sam Tomkins will want to build on a year that saw him break into the Wigan and England teams PA
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
SPORT 15
Ryder Cup win would be my major, says Montgomerie
GOLF
2 Scot expects Rory McIlroy to play key role in European attempt to reclaim trophy
By Tony Jimenez
EUROPEAN Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie said winning the 2010 team event would be like capturing the major title that has always eluded him. The 46-year-old Briton has been a major championship runner-up five times and often labelled as one of the best golfers never to have won the British or US Opens, the US Masters or US PGA. "It [the Ryder Cup] has been a major part of my career and my life and hopefully the result goes our way and it will be my own major, albeit without hitting a golf shot," Montgomerie said. "You can't be a runner-up at the Ryder Cup. Winning it would be the icing on the cake of my career, my socalled major win." Montgomerie has a proud playing record in the biennial team event, having never lost a singles match in eight appearances. At the Celtic Manor course in Wales in October, the Scot will be hoping to wrest the trophy back from skipper Corey Pavin's American team. Montgomerie believes 20-year-old Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy could have a big impact on the outcome. "I rate him [McIlroy] very highly," Montgomerie said. "Apart from Tiger Woods, if I was to pay money to watch a golfer play it would be Rory. "The way he hits through the ball, the way he plays the game, his passion for the game, it's tremendous. "He is only 20 but here is a man with a big, big future. I'm just lucky he's European and he'll be on my team," Montgomerie said. The eight-times European Order of Merit winner has had the occasional
Sport in brief
Aubert finds second wind to clinch World Cup slalom in Zagreb
SKIING Frenchwoman Sandrine Aubert claimed her second win of the season yesterday with victory in the World Cup slalom in Zagreb. Aubert (pictured), who also triumphed in Are, produced a brilliant second run to triumph in two minutes 0.36 seconds. She finished 0.43 seconds ahead of Austrian Kathrin Zettel and 0.74 seconds clear of Germany's Susanne Riesch. Fourth-placed Maria Riesch was denied a podium spot by her sister but will be consoled by topping the overall standings on 599 points after 14 events. Meanwhile, Eldar Roenning of Norway and Petra Majdic of Slovenia won the 1.6-km sprints yesterday on the concluding leg of the crosscountry Tour de Ski in Germany. Roenning left Norwegian team-mate and overall World Cup leader Petter Northug 2.1 seconds behind in the classic-style race. Axel Teichmann of Germany was third.
Dakar Rally marred by death of fan
Colin Montgomerie (right) pictured with Tiger Woods, will captain the European team at Celtic Manor in October GETTY MOTOR RACING A woman watching the Dakar Rally has died after being struck by a vehicle competing in the race's first stage. Sonia Natalia Gallardo, 28, was among a group of spectators hit by the car driven by Mirco Schultis and Ulrich Leardi. The accident happened 75 kilometres into the stage between Buenos Aires and Cordoba. Gallardo was taken to hospital in Cordoba but later died of her injuries. Other victims suffered slight injuries and are currently in hospital. Race organisers offered their condolences and called upon fans to stay within the special "spectator zones".
dispute with the flamboyant Englishman Ian Poulter in the past but said he would welcome the world No 12 into his team with open arms. "He has become a confident young man and I want confident people in my team," Montgomerie added. "I would talk to him beforehand to integrate him into the team unity more than possibly he has before, encourage him to be playing for the team that particular week. "I want all egos left at the door as they arrive on the Monday. I don't want one big ego in that team, I want them all to play for each other." Poulter was selected on the team as a wildcard in 2008 and justified then
captain Nick Faldo's confidence in him by emerging as Europe's leading performer with four points out of five. "The Americans don't want to be
"Apart from Tiger Woods, if I had to pay to watch a golfer, it would be Rory McIlroy"
COLIN MONTGOMERIE ON THE YOUNG NORTHERN IRISHMAN
playing Ian Poulter," Montgomerie said. "He is a very good golfer, a great putter and his matchplay strength means he will be a very difficult man to beat."
Montgomerie is also looking forward to the possibility of Edoardo and Francesco Molinari featuring in his side after the Italian brothers impressively won the World Cup in China in November. "The Molinaris have done so, so well. Francesco especially has become a very good player," said the Scot. "I was watching him at the Vivendi Trophy [team event] last year and was very impressed. To win the World Cup together was a stunning achievement. "I was watching them and if I'm the first to captain brothers in the Ryder Cup I'll be thrilled. They will be an obvious pairing too."
Returning Sauber in for the long haul
FORMULA ONE The owner of Sauber has said he is planning to stay involved in the sport in the medium to long term. Peter Sauber (pictured) bought the team he founded back from BMW last year after the German carmaker pulled out, citing the economic downturn. Sauber said his planning stretches to the next three to five years. He said that a second driver has been chosen to pair with Japan's Kamui Kobayashi. Sauber declined to reveal the driver's name but said he was "an experienced man." He says the team's 2010 season is fully financed, though it is still looking for a main sponsor following Malaysian oil company Petronas' withdrawal.
Murray turns back on Davis Cup duty
TENNIS
By Paul Newman
BRITAIN will have to begin their fight to escape the depths of the Davis Cup's third tier without their best player. Andy Murray, speaking yesterday in Perth on the eve of his first appearance of the year, in the Hopman Cup, said he would not be available for the Europe Africa Zone Group Two tie away to Lithuania in March. "You've got to do what is right for your tennis," Murray said. "That period of the year just before Indian Wells and Miami is very important for me. I have a lot of ranking points to defend. "I've obviously done very well there in the past couple of years, so playing on clay away in Lithuania before travelling over to California is not the best preparation for that." Britain are competing at their lowest level for 14 years after losing to Poland in September, when Murray played � and won his two singles rubbers � despite a wrist injury that was to keep him out for the next six weeks. From that moment, it was never realistic to expect the world No 4 to play in March. Murray is the only man in the world's top 20 from a country not in the Davis Cup's elite 16-team World Group, while Marcos Baghdatis, of Cyprus, is the only other top 50 player from a nation playing in the competition's third tier. Murray will discuss his future availability on a match-to-match basis, with John Lloyd's team, next due to play the weekend after Wimbledon. "I don't think it's a case of me abandoning Great Britain � I've played a lot of matches for them and I'm here representing them as well," Murray said in Australia, where he will join forces with Laura Robson to play Kazakhstan today. "[Roger] Federer has missed Davis
Andy Murray has been a Davis Cup stalwart but will miss the tie in Lithuania in March
Cup matches, Rafa [Nadal] has missed Davis Cup matches, as have [Novak] Djokovic, [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi. A lot better players than me have missed Davis Cup matches." Lithuania have only three singles
players ranked in the world's top 1,000 � Ricardas Berankis (No 320), Laurynas Grigelis (577) and Dovydas Sakinis (873) � but victory is by no means a foregone conclusion for Lloyd's team. It is 13 years since a Briton other than Murray, Tim Henman or Greg Rusedski won a live Davis Cup singles rubber. Lloyd has several good doubles players to choose from, but there are no obvious choices as singles players. Alex Bogdanovic (world No 163), Dan Evans (261) and Josh Goodall (306) have all failed to grasp previous chances. The lack of obvious selections could open the door for James Ward (270), who has yet to play for his country, and Jamie Baker (312), who has impressed on national duty in the past and has rebuilt his career after a serious blood infection threatened to end it.
Bite-size
Andy Murray made his Davis Cup debut in 2005, teaming up with David Sherwood to beat Israel's Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in a 3-2 win for Great Britain. The Scotsman has won 11 of his 17 Davis Cup matches.
16 SPORT RUGBY UNION
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Venter set to pay stiff penalty for outburst
Chris Hewett
Rugby Union Correspondent
SARACENS LEICESTER
15 22
AS AN exercise in futility, any attempt to gather together all the themes and nuances of Brendan Venter's 31-minute response to events at Vicarage Road would knock Monty Python's "summarise Proust" competition into a cocked hat, but this was the gist of it: referees, rather than the teams themselves, are deciding matches; the penalty system is a bad joke that generally leaves the wrong people laughing their way to another three points; and players who influence officials football-style with their appealing should be sent off (or jailed, or shot). Oh, one other thing. Saracens have been doing everything by the book, but are now wondering whether to start cheating like everyone else. The Premiership leaders' director of rugby raised a number of further issues � it was difficult to fathom exactly how many without the aid of an abacus � but we have quite enough to be going on with. And the cause of this after-match blast? A penalty count that swung sharply away from Saracens in the second half and gave Toby Flood (whose performance on any other day would have been the talk of the town, such was its quality) enough opportunities to bag the game with the aid of his right boot. For the life of him, he could not understand how his side went from winning three times as many decisions
as Leicester in the opening 40 minutes to conceding twice as many penalties as their opponents after the break. "I really don't think referees are dishonest," he said, which must have come to some relief to poor David Rose, who has suffered more than has fair share of pain just recently. "But something happened to this ref. It's as though he walked through a maze and came out a different man. Words must have been spoken at half-time by someone, and it wasn't me. Do you really think I walked into the dressing room at 6-3 up and said `right, guys, things are going really well, so let's start cheating'? "I'm a positive person, I normally have a plan for things and I'm good at following rules if I know what the rules are. I'm disciplined: discipline is one of the things on which I base my life and the things we do at this club. At the end of a game, I want to be able to shake someone's hand and say: `Fair enough, you whipped us.' I can't say that today because I don't understand what went on out there. This is not how rugby is supposed to work." He was especially unhappy about Rose's decision to send Steve Borthwick to the cooler for a bout of "lazy running" past a Leicester ruck just as the clock ticked over into the final quarter. In the director of rugby's view, the visiting half-back Ben Youngs was guilty of gamesmanship in throwing a pass straight at the ducking, retreating England captain. "If Steve wanted to block the pass, why did he duck?" the South African asked. He went on to raise Saracens' narrow defeat at London Irish six days previously, their first of the campaign, and made the startling claim that the
"I don't understand what went on out there. That is not how rugby is supposed to work"
BRENDAN VENTER HITS OUT AFTER SARACENS' DEFEAT
Rugby Football Union's refereeing department had apologised to him for the way the Berkshire official Dean Richards had run affairs. "When we sat down and went through the video, there were 25 offences from London Irish that weren't penalised and one from us," he said. "This week, I give up. I've asked Mark McCall [one of his coaches] to have the discussion. He has a nice way with him." Venter's opposite number declined an invitation to join in the debate. "I'm the last person you should ask," said Richard Cockerill, freshly back in public circulation following a referee-driv-
en outburst of his own. Instead, he pointed to the supremacy of the Leicester scrum as the key factor in the outcome. "When you're struggling there and running out of ball as a result, you're bound to concede penalties," he remarked, quite correctly. Three of Flood's second-half penalties were the result of Saracens' problems in this area, signs of which had been evident at London Irish, despite Venter's claims to the contrary on that occasion. It was another Sioux-sized feather in the cap of Dan Cole, the young Leicester tight-head prop, who, with the strongscrummaging Louis Deacon behind him, gave both Matias Aguero and Rhys Gill all the hassle they could handle. The heavy mob were also at the heart of Dan Hipkiss' close-range try on 51 minutes, a score that gave the Midlanders a platform on which to build. Ironically, Saracens succeeded in abandoning a platform of their own by withdrawing the button-bright flanker Andy Saull bang on the hour
mark � the surest possible sign of a pre-planned substitution. "Open-side flankers use up a lot of energy and we had another one just as good on the bench in Justin Melck," explained Venter. If the last half of that sentence seemed just a little fanciful, the first half of it was a mixture of the self-evident and the bonkers. Was he really suggesting that a good breakaway forward is incapable of playing the full 80 these days? Richie McCaw and George Smith, two back-row titans closely studied by Saull over the 18 months or so, might take a very different view. Saull's performance in the first half, capped by a cultured little chipand-chase effort that put Leicester in such a panic that he found himself being obstructed by two players rather than the usual one and was worthy of a try, had an old Saracen of the standing of the World Cup-winner Richard Hill purring with delight. Venter has a diamond on his hands
Ashton's frenetic finish boosts England claim
NORTHAMPTON LONDON IRISH
By Alex Lowe
CHRIS ASHTON reinforced his claims for an England call-up with the last-gasp winning try as Northampton beat London Irish to move second in the Premiership table. England coaches Brian Smith and John Wells were both at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday to witness Ashton take his try-scoring tally to an eyecatching 15 from 16 games this season. England's wing options are plentiful
24 22
with Ugo Monye, Mark Cueto, David Strettle and Matt Banahan plus the versatile Mathew Tait already part of the set-up. But the Saints coach, Jim Mallinder, believes Smith and Wells could not have failed to be impressed by Ashton's strike rate and his nose for an opportunity. "Chris is a natural finisher whose game is improving at this level with every outing. He got one chance and scored in front of the England coaches," said Mallinder. "It was always going to be a tight game and a tough one so I am very pleased to come away with four points." The Saints had led early in the sec-
Chris Ashton is a `natural finisher', says Jim Mallinder GETTY IMAGES
ond half after two Stephen Myler penalties and a try from flanker Phil Dowson before Irish surged two scores clear following an intercept try from Peter Hewat. But Myler's penalties kept Saints in touch before Ashton appeared on Shane Geraghty's shoulder to turn the game on its head. "We kept him quiet until the last 20 seconds, but that is the sign of a genuine finisher, one chance, one try," said Exiles boss Toby Booth. "There are a lot of similarities between the teams, both like to play positively, with width and tempo. And when you have a lad like Ashton you can always turn things round." Ashton dismissed suggestions after
the game that he failed to ground the match-winning try. He said: "I definitely grounded it. I wasn't going to let that ball go, although it bounced upwards off my chest and not forwards. "Scoring tries means everything to me. I'm working on my all-round game including my kicking, but wings must score tries."
Scorers: Northampton: TriesDowson, AshtonConversion Geraghty PenaltiesMyler 3, Geraghty. London Irish: Try Hewat ConversionMalone PenaltyMalone 4 Drop-goalMalone Northampton: Foden; Ashton, Clarke, Downey, Diggin (Mayor (68); Myler (Geraghty, 66), Dickson; Tonga'uiha, Hartley (capt), Murray, I Fernandez Lobbe (Best, 54), Kruger, Lawes, Dowson, Wilson. London Irish: D Armitage; Homer, Seveali'i, Mapusua, Hewat; Malone, Hodgson; Dermody (Murphy 54), Paice, Ion (Rautenbach, 54), Kennedy, Casey (Perry, 78), Roche, S Armitage, Hala'Ufia. Referee: S Davey (RFU).
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
RUGBY UNION SPORT 17
Jordan Crane (left) was part of a Leicester pack that dominated Saracens in the second half GETTY
Wasps are left kicking themselves after loss
WASPS NEWCASTLE
By Tony Roche
NEWCASTLE leap-frogged from the dead zone to sixth with their first victory at Adams Park, a triumph based on a superb scrum and superior goalkicking. In freezing conditions, Newcastle defended intelligently and deserved a win that made their recent home defeat by rock-bottom Leeds all the more surprising. But Wasps were disappointing, using three different goal-kickers and taking a serious scrummaging lesson. The start was peppered by errors � handling and kicking � presenting both teams with early opportunities to activate the scoreboard. Dave Walder's first-minute penalty punished Newcastle's failure to cope with the kick-off, and Jimmy Gopperth's equalising kick four minutes later ought to have blown away all cobwebs. But individual mistakes prevailed, and the only constant was the supremacy of the visiting scrum, which repeatedly crunched and mangled Wasps. Walder, preferred to Danny Cipriani at fly-half, began the game the most successful goal-kicker in the Guinness Premiership, a return of 81.5 percent. But two misses in the opening quarter after his opening strike damaged his stats and let Newcastle off the hook. It could have been worse, however. Gopperth stepped up for a reasonably simple penalty in front of the posts after 24 minutes but, in keeping with the game overall, made a hash of it. The game burst to life in the 27th minute when David Lemi and Cipriani set things in motion on the left and 12 phases later Simon Shaw ploughed over. Referee Tim Wigglesworth consulted TV match official Roy Marfleet, who ruled that Newcastle captain Carl Hayman had succeeded in keeping the ball off the ground. Then Wigglesworth signalled advantage to Wasps, who gaily charged off to the opposite side of the field, and kept enjoying themselves so long that the referee got fed up waiting and yelled "advantage over". Scrum-
Meehan hails Bath `morale' after crucial win over Leeds
LEEDS BATH
By Ross Heppenstall
BATH head coach Steve Meehan hailed his side after they ground out a potentially priceless 20-15 victory over Premiership relegation rivals Leeds. The West Country outfit showed admirable spirit to grind out the win courtesy of five penalties from Nicky Little and a clinical first-half try from Michael Stephenson. It was the perfect way to start 2010 and Meehan felt his players deserved credit. "Even when we were having a poor run of results, the morale was still quite high and I don't think people can quite grasp that, or maybe they don't want to. But it was there," he said. "It was great to finish last year and begin this one with another victory. "We've got players to come back but the guys that are there now are fighting for the club and the supporters." There was precious little free-flowing rugby on display but Bath ultimately had the calmness of Little and finishing power of Stephenson to
Bath's Michael Stephenson scored the only try in his team's five-point victory over Leeds
6 12
15 20
here. He should treasure it the way he treasures his sense of righteousness. Yesterday, the RFU reacted sharply to Venter's outburst, accusing him of damaging the image of the game with his "negative public commentary" and "highly inappropriate disclosure of confidential discussions", and threatening him with a disrepute charge. Ed Morrison, the governing body's head of elite referee development, said: "We feel we have a robust review process with every referee and club, which we undertake after every game. We absolutely do not expect those conversations to be reported out of context in the public domain."
Scorers: Saracens: Penalties Hougaard 3, Jackson 2. Leicester: Try Hipkiss. Con Flood. Penalties Flood 5. Saracens: A Goode; R Penney, K Ratuvou, B Barritt, C Wyles; G Jackson (D Hougaard h-t), J Marshall (M Rauluni 62); M Aguero (R Gill 51), F Ongaro (S Brits h-t), C Nieto, S Borthwick (capt), T Ryder (M Botha 53), W Van Heerden, A Saull (J Melck 60), E Joubert. Leicester: S Hamilton; J Murphy (A Tuilagi 49), D Hipkiss, A Allen (J Staunton 24), L Tuqiri; T Flood, B Youngs; B Stankovich (M Ayerza 42), G Chuter, D Cole, L Deacon (capt), G Parling, B Deacon, B Woods (C Newby 48), J Crane. Referee: D Rose (Devon).
Wasps' Danny Cipriani attempts to make a break yesterday GETTY IMAGES
half Mark Robinson was indignant when told the "advantage" was past its sell-by date, and handed a scrum instead. Gopperth then blasted a 50-yard penalty against the bar, but Newcastle's scrum was mighty, and Wigglesworth warned Wasps captain John Hart that Bob Baker's third failure to match Jon Golding was his last before a trip to the sin-bin. Gopperth did kick the resultant penalty, and although his fifth kick fell under the bar, Newcastle ended a forgettable half 6-3 in front. But it was no surprise when Baker departed the match during the break, replaced by new signing, Samoan international Sakaria Taulafo. Little changed, however, and another scrum mangling led to Gopperth hoofing home his third goal on 48 minutes. Shortly after, Walder received the
dreaded beckoning finger from coach Shaun Edwards, who moved Cipriani up to fly-half and Mark van Gisbergen to full-back. But when Cipriani was handed his first chance to kick for goal, it sailed wide. Sentiment went out the window when Wasps got another chance on 66 minutes, the bench demanding that Van Gisbergen become their third kicker in one game, and he delivered. But when they had a last-gasp chance to steal it, Dan Ward-Smith summed up Wasps' evening by taking the wrong option.
Scorers: Wasps: Penalties Walder, van Gisbergen; Newcastle: Penalties Gopperth (4). Wasps: D Cipriani; T Varndell, D Waldouck, S Kefu (Jacobs 66), D Lemi; D Walder (van Gisbergen, 51), M Robinson; T Payne, R Webber, B Baker (Taulafo, 40), S Shaw, G Skivington (Leo, 69), J Hart, W Matthews, D Ward-Smith. Newcastle: A Tait; G Bobo, R Vickerman (Biggs, 52), T Tu'ipulotu, C Amesbury (Miller, 60); J Gopperth, H Charlton (Miller, 66); J Golding (Ward, 56), R Vickers (Thompson, 79), C Hayman, J Hudson, T Swinson, J Afu, B Wilson (Welch, 75), F Levi. Referee: T Wigglesworth (RFU).
Ruddock `heartbroken' by late Attwood try
GLOUCESTER WORCESTER
By Andrew Baldock
LOCK Dave Attwood salvaged a dramatic draw for Gloucester with a try deep into injury-time at Kingsholm. But fly-half Carlos Spencer sent the game's final kick � a touchline conversion attempt � narrowly wide and honours were shared. Spencer's fellow substitute Attwood struck with just 16 seconds left, and a draw was just about what Gloucester deserved after dominating second-
thank for their win. Leeds looked dangerous when on the attack but they could not penetrate the visitors' line and fell behind for the first time in the 29th minute when Bath claimed the only try of the game. The score stemmed from an outstanding run down the right flank from No 8 Luke Watson, who was held up just short of the line before Stephenson followed up to burrow his way over. Leeds claimed five penalties from fly-half Joe Ford but are now rated as clear favourites for the drop. They have not won at home in the Premiership all season but head coach Neil Back believes there could be plenty more twists and turns between now and May. "The guys won't fail through lack of effort, but we're on 14 points and there are still 50 points up for grabs," he said. "While there are still points up for grabs we will maintain our confidence and belief, and why not?"
Scorers: Leeds: Penalties Ford (5); Bath: Try Stephenson Penalties Little (5). Leeds: Hinton; Armstrong (Fa'afili, 71), Rabeni, Paul, Blackett; Ford, Gomarsall (Mathie, 60); MacDonald, Rawlinson, Gomez (McGee, 60), Lund, Wentzel (capt), Myall (Clark, 55), Fourie, To'oala. Bath: Maddock; Stephenson, Carraro, Hape, Banahan; Little, Claassens (capt); Flatman (Barnes, 60), Mears (Dixon, 72), Wilson (Bell, 68), Hooper, Grewcock (Short, 68), Beattie, Salvi (Skirving, 56), Watson. Referee: D Pearson (RFU).
13 13
half territory. Worcester though, looked to have done enough to repeat last season's Premiership victory at Kingsholm and end an eight-month wait for a league away win. First-half tries by wing Rico Gear and scrum-half Jonny Arr put Worcester in charge, while their former Gloucester back Willie Walker kicked a penalty. The home side produced an early Akapusi Qera try and a second-half penalty from Nicky Robinson, but it was another sub-standard display in a miserable season by the Cherry and Whites. The result leaves both clubs scrambling about in the Premiership's bottom third.
And in a league of such small margins between success and failure, it seemed Gloucester would be left to rue three missed Robinson kicks as the Wales international endured an off-day. But Attwood was the unlikely hero, leaving Worcester to reflect on a fourth draw from their last five Premiership games and still no away win in the league since they triumphed at Gloucester in April. Worcester manager Mike Ruddock said: "It was heartbreaking to concede a try in the last minute. "But in terms of the league, it is about picking up points as often as you can. We are a very hard team to beat,
and we have got to keep on doing that � performing to a high level." Ruddock added: "Our first-half performance was excellent, although we gift-wrapped Gloucester their first try through an interception. They upped the tempo in the second period, but we were tenacious in defence and it is about the overall performance. We will happily take the two points."
Scorers: Gloucester: Tries Qera, Attwood Penalty Robinson. Worcester: Tries Gear, Arr. Penalty Walker. Gloucester: Morgan; Sharples (Molenaar, 36), SimpsonDaniel, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Vainikolo; Robinson (Spencer, 75), Lewis (A Williams, 68); Wood (Dickinson, 40), S Lawson (Azam, 61), Somerville, Eustace (Attwood, 52), Brown, Strokosch, Qera, Delve (capt, Narraway, 61). Worcester: Latham; Gear, Rasmussen, Benjamin, Walker, Arr; Black (Mullan, 52), Fortey (Lutui, 52), Grove, Sourgens (Gilding, 71), Rawlinson, Gillies, Wood, Sanderson (capt), Horstmann. Referee: D Richards (RFU).
Bite-size
Steve Meehan started his coaching career with Queensland Reds in 1999. He helped Stade Francais to three successive French Championship finals and the 2005 Heineken Cup showpiece, before leading Bath to the Challenge Cup in 2008.
18 SPORT
Sporting digest
BASKETBALL
BBL Championship: Yesterday: Sheffield Sharks 90 Worcester Wolves 88 (OT). Saturday: Worthing Thunder 109 Cheshire Jets 94; Worcester Wolves 91 London Capital 69. NBA: Saturday: Boston Celtics 103 Toronto Raptors 96; Chicago Bulls 101 Orlando Magic 93; Indiana Pacers 122 Minnesota Timberwolves 111; Miami Heat 97 Charlotte Bobcats 107; Milwaukee Bucks 103 Oklahoma City 97; New Jersey Nets 86 Cleveland Cavaliers 94; New Orleans Hornets 99 Houston Rockets 95; Phoenix Suns 103 Memphis Grizzlies 128; Portland Trail Blazers 105 Golden State Warriors 89; Sacramento Kings 91 Dallas Mavericks 99; Utah Jazz 95 Denver Nuggets 105; Washington Wizards 86 San Antonio Spurs 97. Friday: Atlanta Hawks 108 New York Knicks 112; LA Lakers 109 Sacramento Kings 108; Minnesota Timberwolves 94 Orlando Magic 106. 564; 3 J Lyons (GS Invicta) 560. Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross Points Series (Overall, after seven rounds): 1 N Clough (Fietsen Tempo) 289pts; 2 R Thackray (Paul Milnes-Bradford Olympic RT) 278; 3 S Mawdsley (Crosstrax) 271. East Anglian Daily Times Cyclo-Cross League (Overall, after 11 rounds): 1 A Nichols (Cambridge Univ CC) 366pts; 2 R Dunnett (Diss & District CC) 342; 3 T Stanford (Extreme Sports Therapy) 330. Lincolnshire Cyclo-Cross League (Final Overall): 1 R Lister (Team Endura) 326pts; 2 M Preston (VC Lincoln) 260; 3 D Hewson (Alford Wheelers) 259. Hog Hill Winter Road Race League (Redbridge, London, 40km): 1 H Humphreys (Mosquito Bikes RT) 1hr 08mins 04secs; 2 D Murphy (Team Milton Keynes); 3 O Lake (Cambridge CC) all at same time. Demtschenko (Rus) (1st Run: 47.127secs & 2nd Run: 47.049secs) 1min 34.176secs; 2 A Zoggeler (It) (47.350 & 47.199) 1:34.549; 3 D Moller (Ger) (47.360 & 47.280) 1:34.640; 4 A Langenhan (Ger) (47.381 & 47.380) 1:34.761; 5 V Kneib (Rus) (47.378 & 47.481) 1:34.859; 6 D Pfister (Aut) (47.494 & 47.410) 1:34.904; 7 R Rainer (It) (47.431 & 47.479) 1:34.910; 8 JA Eichhorn (Ger) (47.498 & 47.426) 1:34.924; 9 F Loch (Ger) (47.621 & 47.338) 1:34.959; 10 M Pfister (Aut) (47.451 & 47.540) 1:34.991. Overall World Cup Standings: 1 A Zoggeler (It) 455; 2 A Demtschenko (Rus) 379; 3 F Loch (Ger) 329; 4 D Moller (Ger) 311; 5 V Kneib (Rus) 248; 6 R Rainer (It) 215; 7 J-A Eichhorn (Ger) 196; 8 T Benshoof (US) 191; 9 A Langenhan (Ger) 188; 10 W Huber (It) 184. Saturday: Leading final positions after the Women's Singles: 1 T Hufner (Ger) (1st Run: 47.787secs & 2nd Run: 47.537secs) 1min 35.324secs; 2 N Geisenberger (Ger) (47.896 & 47.654) 1:35.550; 3 S Sieger (Ger) (47.992 & 47.875) 1:35.867; 4 A Wischnewski (Ger) (47.993 & 48.114) 1:36.107; 5 E Hamlin (US) (48.111 & 48.193) 1:36.304; 6 N Reithmayer (Aut) (48.142 & 48.283) 1:36.425; 7 J Clukey (USA) (48.267 & 48.279) 1:36.546; 8 E Staszulonek (Pol) (48.341 & 48.270) 1:36.611; 9 M Kocher (Swit) (48.373 & 48.347) 1:36.720; 10 A Rodionova (Rus) (48.342 & 48.385) 1:36.727. Overall World Cup Standings: 1 T Hufner (Ger) 485pts; 2 N Geisenberger (Ger) 440; 3 A Wischnewski (Ger) 325; 4 E Hamlin (US) 265; 5 N Reithmayer (Aut) 251; 6 C Martini (Ger) 203; 7 V Halder (Aut) 198; 8 A Rodionova (Rus) 197; 9 M Tiruma (Lat) 183; 10 A Gough (Can) 174.
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
MOTOR RACING
Dakar Rally 2010: Leading Positions in Stage 1 (Buenos Aires - Cordoba, Special Stage, 317km): Bikes: 1 D Casteu (Fr) Sherco 1hr 50mins 42secs; 2 C Despres (Fr) KTM 1:50:45; 3 M Coma (Sp) KTM 1:50:54; 4 J Viladoms (Sp) KTM 1:52:27; 5 F L Contardo (Chile) Aprilia 1:53:24; 6 D Fretigne (Fr) Yamaha 1:53:39; 7 J Przygonski (Pol) KTM 1:53:52; 8 P Goncalves (Por) BMW 1:54:11; 9 R Faria (Por) KTM 1:54:45; 10 H Rodrigues (Por) Yamaha 1:55:12; 11 O Pain (Fr) Yamaha 1:55:16; 12 M Luca (It) KTM 1:55:19; 13 G F Guell (Sp) Aprilia 1:55:27; 14 J Street (US) KTM 1:56:26; 15 P A Ullevalseter (Nor) KTM 1:57:09; 16 A Duclos (Fr) KTM 1:57:40; 17 H Knuiman (Neth) KTM 1:58:41; 18 P Ceci (It) Aprilia 1:59:16; 19 J P Garcia (Sp) KTM 1:59:42; 20 J Villarrubia (Sp) Yamaha 2:00:23.
DARTS
Ladbrokes.com World Championship, Alexandra Palace, London: Saturday: Semi-finals: S Whitlock (Aus) bt R van Barneveld (Neth) 6-5; P Taylor (Eng) bt M Webster (Wal) 6-0. 2010 Lakeside BDO World Professional Championships, Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey: Men's first round: Yesterday: S Waites (Eng) bt P Hanvidge (Sco) 3-0; T West (Eng) bt M Barilli (Sco) 3-1; J Henderson (Sco) bt M Michels (Neth) 3-1. Saturday: T O'Shea (Eng) bt R Green (Eng) 3-2; B Woods (Eng) bt J Ten Berge (Neth) 3-2; W van der Wiel (Neth) bt J Walton (Eng) 3-2; S Bunting (Eng) bt I White (Eng) 3-0; T Hankey (Eng) bt G Robson (Eng) 3-0; R Wagner (Nor) bt A Norris (Sco) 3-2. Women's quarter-finals: Saturday: K Lawman (Eng) bt L Ithurralde (Eng) 2-0; R Edwards (Wal) bt J Gore (Wal) 2-0.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Friendly: Saturday: Batley 40 Huddersfield 12.
CRICKET
Second Test Match Australia v Pakistan Sydney (First day of five) Pakistan trail Australia by 113 runs with all first inning wickets remaining Australia won toss Australia-- First Innings S Watson c Akmal b Sami ......................6 P Hughes c Iqbal b Sami ........................0 *R Ponting c Gul b Sami ........................0 M Hussey c ul-Haq b Asif......................28 M Clarke b Asif ......................................3 M North c Akmal b Asif ........................10 B Haddin c Yousuf b Asif ......................6 M Johnson c Farhat b Asif ....................38 N Hauritz b Asif ....................................21 P Siddle not out......................................1 D Bollinger b Gul....................................9 Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 1, nb 1)......................5 Total (44.2 overs) ........................127 Fall: 1-2, 2-2, 3-10, 4-36, 5-51, 6-51, 7-62, 8-106, 9-117, 10-127. Bowling: M Asif 20-6-41-6, M Sami 12-427-3, U Gul 10.2-0-38-1, D Kaneria 2-0-18-0. Pakistan-- First Innings I Farhat not out......................................9 S Butt not out ........................................3 Extras (lb 1, nb 1) ..................................2 Total (0 wkts, 4.1 overs) ................14 To Bat: Faisal Iqbal, *Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif, Danish Kaneria, Umar Gul. Bowling: D Bollinger 2.1-0-4-0, P Siddle 2-0-9-0. Umpires: E A R de Silva & B R Doctrove.
SKIING
FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, Oberhof, Germany: Yesterday: Leading final positions after the Men's Gundersen HS140/10.0km: 1 J Spillane (US) 28mins 13.3secs; 2 F Gottwald (Aut) 28:44.1; 3 B Kircheisen (Ger) 28:52.4; 4 J L Chappuis (Fr) 28:54.9; 5 E Frenzel (Ger) 28:56.6; 6 P Churavy (Cz Rep) 28:57.6; 7 M Stecher (Aut) 29:11.5; 8 D Kreiner (Aut) 29:16.5; 9 B Gruber (Aut) 29:19.2; 10 C Bieler (Aut) 29:20.2. Saturday: 1 H Manninen (Fin) 27mins 38.600secs; 2 F Gottwald (Aut) 27:39.700; 3 J L Chappuis (Fr) 27:41.000; 4 J Spillane (US)
27:45.400; 5 B Kircheisen (Ger) 27:48.200; 6 P Churavy (Cz Rep) 27:55.900; 7 A Koivuranta (Fin) 27:57.500; 8 B Demong (US) 27:58.700; 9 B Gruber (Aut) 28:3.000; 10 E Frenzel (Ger) 28:10.400secs. World Cup Standings: 1 C J Lamy (Fr) 647pts; 2 T Edelmann (Ger) 462; 3 F Gottwald (Aut) 383; 4 J Spillane (US) 346; 5 B Kircheisen (Ger) 340; 6 E Frenzel (Ger) 337; 7 A Koivuranta (Fin) 301; 8 H Manninen (Fin) 294; 9 P L Tande (Nor) 271; 10 P Churavy (Cz Rep) 221. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Innsbruck, Austria: Yesterday: Leading final positions after the Men's HS130: 1 G Schlierenzauer (Aut) (Jump 1: 130.0m & Jump 2: 122.0m) 251.1pts; 2 S Ammann (Swit) (128.5 & 117.5) 237.8; 3 J Ahonen (Fin) (128.0 & 117.5) 237.4; 4 A Kofler (Aut) (126.0 & 118.5) 235.1; 5 A Jacobsen (Nor) (126.5 & 117.0) 234.3; 6 W Loitzl (Aut) (122.0 & 119.0) 232.8; 7 A Malysz (Pol) (123.5 & 118.0) 231.7; 8 P Bodmer (Ger) (122.5 & 118.5) 228.8; 9 N Kasai (Japan) (122.0 & 117.0) 225.2; 10 M Innauer (Aut) (121.0 & 118.0) 223.7. World Cup Standings: 1 G Schlierenzauer (Aut) 611pts; 2 S Ammann (Swit) 609; 3 A Kofler (Aut) 476; 4 W Loitzl (Aut) 361; 5 T Morgenstern (Aut) 340; 6 B E Romoeren (Nor) 335; 7 J Ahonen (Fin) 270; 8 P Bodmer (Ger) 257; 9 A Malysz (Pol) 246; 10 D Ito (Japan) 219. FIS Cross Country Tour de Ski, Oberhof, Germany: Saturday: Leading final positions after Men's 15km: 1 P Jr Northug (Nor) 47mins 07.8secs; 2 M Vylegzhanin (Rus) 47:07.9; 3 M Heikkinen (Fin) 47:08.6; 4 L Bauer (Cz Rep) 47:10.3; 5 T Angerer (Ger) 47:10.9; 6 A Teichmann (Ger) 47:13.1; 7 S Jauhojaervi (Fin) 47:17.3; 8 J Filbrich (Ger) 47:17.8; 9 M Hellner (Swe) 47:18.3;
10 D Kershaw (Can) 47:18.7. Overall World Cup Standings: 1 P Jr Northug 540pts; 2 A Legkov 231; 3 M Vylegzhanin 227; 4 M Heikkinen 221; 5 M Hellner 215; 6 J K Dahl 200; 7 T Angerer 183; 8 D Cologna 172; 9 O V Hattestad 170; 10 A Petukhov 160. Leading final positions after Women's 10km: 1 J Kowalczyk (Pol) 34mins 30.0secs; 2 A-K Saarinen (Fin) 34:32.8; 3 K S Steira (Nor) 34:35.7; 4 V Kuitunen (Fin) 34:43.2; 5 A Follis (It) 34:56.6; 6 N Korosteleva (Rus) 35:01.3; 7 M Longa (It) 35:04.0; 8 V W Skofterud (Nor) 35:04.8; 9 O Savialova (Rus) 35:05.2; 10 P Majdic (Sloven) 35:05.7. Overall World Cup Standings: 1 J Kowalczyk 490pts; 2 P Majdic 459; 3 M Bjoergen 447; 4 A-K Saarinen 388; 5 N Korosteleva 291; 6 K S Steira 237; 7 C Kalla 231; 8 I Khazova 221; 9 M Longa 205; 10 A Follis 205. FIS Alpine World Cup, Zagreb, Croatia: Yesterday: Leading final positions after the Women's Slalom: 1 S Aubert (Fr) (1st Run: 59.57secs & 2nd Run: 01mins 00.79secs) 02mins 00.36secs; 2 K Zettel (Aut) (59.26 & 01:01.53) 02:00.79; 3 S Riesch (Ger) (01:00.01 & 01:01.09) 02:01.10; 4 M Riesch (Ger) (59.48 & 01:01.85) 02:01.33; 5 S Zahrobska (Cz Rep) (59.89 & 01:01.70) 02:01.59; 6 T Maze (Sloven) (01:00.21 & 01:01.39) 02:01.60; 7 M Pietilae-Holmner (Swe) (01:00.22 & 01:01.74) 02:01.96; 8 T Poutiainen (Fin) (59.78 & 01:02.28) 02:02.06; 9 M Moelgg (It) (01:00.97 & 01:01.77) 02:02.74; 10 T Borssen (Swe) (01:00.51 & 01:02.38) 02:02.89. Giant Slalom World Cup Standings: 1 S Aubert (Fr) 316pts; 2 M Riesch (Ger) 293; 3 S Zahrobska (Cz Rep) 253; 4 K Zettel (Aut) 250; 5 M Schild (Aut) 220; 5 S Riesch (Ger) 220; 7 T Maze
(Sloven) 149; 8 M Pietilae-Holmner (Swe) 129; 9 L Vonn (US) 125; 10 C Geiger (Ger) 108. Overall Alpine World Cup Standings: 1 M Riesch (Ger) 599pts; 2 L Vonn (US) 594; 3 K Zettel (Aut) 569; 4 T Maze (Sloven) 400; 5 A Paerson (Swe) 346; 6 S Aubert (Fr) 340; 7 K Hoelzl (Ger) 311; 8 E Goergl (Aut) 298; 9 M Pietilae-Holmner (Swe) 289; 10 S Zahrobska (Cz Rep) 253.
SPEEDWAY
New Year Classic, Newport: 1 S Boxall (Unattached); 2 K Doolan (King's Lynn); 3 B Barker (Coventry); 4 B Werner (Unattached).
TENNIS
ITF Hyundai Hopman Cup, Perth, Australia: Round Robin Group A: Romania bt Australia 2-1 (Australia players first) Men's Singles: L Hewitt bt V Hanescu 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2). Women's Singles: S Stosur lost to S Cirstea 6-3 4-6 3-6. Mixed Doubles: S Stosur & L Hewitt lost to S Cirstea & V Hanescu 5-7 1-6. Group A: Spain bt US 3-0 (Spain players first): Men's Singles: T Robredo bt J Isner 6-7 6-3 7-6. Women's Singles: M J M Sanchez bt M Oudin 6-4 6-4. Mixed Doubles: M J M Sanchez & T Robredo bt Melanie Oudin & John Isner 6-4 7-5. ATP & WTA Tour Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia: Women's first round: K CLIJSTERS (Bel) bt T Garbin (It) 6-2 6-1; A Molik (Aus) bt E Makarova (Rus) 6-4 1-6 6-4; V King (US) bt S Bammer (Aut) 6-4 6-1; B Zahlavova-Strycova (Cz Rep) bt O Govortsova (Bela) 6-4 6-1; A Petkovic (Ger) bt I BENESOVA (Cz Rep) 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-1; M CZINK (Hun) bt L Hradecka (Cz Rep) 6-4 3-6 6-3.
ICE HOCKEY
bmibaby Elite League: Saturday: Newcastle Vipers 2 Edinburgh Capitals 4; Nottingham Panthers 4 Hull Stingrays 1; Sheffield Steelers 2 Coventry Blaze 5; Belfast Giants 4 Cardiff Devils 1. NHL: Saturday: New York Rangers 1 Carolina Hurricanes 2 (OT); Dallas Stars 1 Vancouver Canucks 3; Tampa Bay Lightning 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 1; Los Angeles Kings 2 Washington Capitals 1; Calgary Flames 3 Toronto Maple Leafs 1; New York Islanders 6 Atlanta Thrashers 5 (SO); Columbus Blue Jackets 2 Colorado Avalanche 3; Phoenix Coyotes 1 Detroit Red Wings 4; Minnesota Wild 3 New Jersey Devils 5; St Louis Blues 3 Chicago Blackhawks 6; Nashville Predators 3 Anaheim Ducks 1; San Jose Sharks 4 Edmonton Oilers 1. Friday: Boston Bruins 2 Philadelphia Flyers 1 (OT); Buffalo Sabres 4 Atlanta Thrashers 3 (OT).
Rugby results
GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP
Yesterday Wasps (3) ..........6 Newcastle (6) ..12 Wasps: Penalties: van Gisbergen, Walder. Newcastle: Penalties: Gopperth 4. Saturday Gloucester (5) ....13 Worcester (13) ..13 Gloucester: Tries: Qera, Attwood. Penalties: Robinson. Worcester: Tries: Arr, Gear. Penalties: Walker. Leeds (12) ..........15 Bath (14) ........20 Leeds: Penalties: Ford 5. Bath: Tries: Stephenson. Penalties: Little 5. Northampton (6)24 London Irish (9)22 Northampton: Tries: Dowson, Ashton. Conversions: Geraghty. Penalties: Myler 3, Geraghty. London Irish: Tries: Hewat. Conversions: Malone. Penalties: Malone 4. Drop Goals: Malone. Saracens (6) ......15 Leicester (3) ....22 Saracens: Penalties: Hougaard 3, Jackson 2. Leicester: Tries: Hipkiss. Conversions: Flood. Penalties: Flood 5. P W D L F A B Pt Saracens ......12 9 1 2 216 172 2 40 Northampton12 9 0 3 263 191 3 39 London Irish 12 7 2 3 264 154 5 37 Leicester ......12 7 1 4 246 160 6 36 Wasps ..........11 7 0 4 203 173 3 31 Newcastle ....12 4 3 5 167 184 3 25 Harlequins ..12 4 2 6 216 246 4 24 Sale..............11 4 1 6 177 212 4 22 Gloucester....12 4 1 7 206 258 3 21 Bath ............12 3 2 7 172 191 4 20 Worcester ....12 2 4 6 169 206 3 19 Leeds ..........12 2 1 9 154 306 4 14 London Welsh (0)12 Exeter (3) ........10 Plymouth (7) ....10 Moseley (10) ....20 Rotherham T ......P Nottingham......P P W D L F A BPts Bristol ........16 14 0 2 462 251 11 67 Exeter..........16 13 0 3 463 265 7 59 Lon Welsh ....16 10 0 6 349 282 8 43 Bedford ......16 8 1 7 421 291 8 42 Cornish P......16 9 0 7 393 312 5 41 Nottingham ..13 8 0 5 328 268 7 39 Moseley ......16 7 0 9 326 403 6 34 Plymouth ....16 7 0 9 267 368 4 32 Doncaster ....14 6 0 8 233 234 4 28 Rotherham T 14 4 0 10 243340 7 23 Coventry ......15 4 1 10 252355 5 8 Birm'ham & S14 0 0 14 176544 2 -13 Nationbal League - One: Cinderford P Esher P; London Scottish 33 Cambridge 10; Manchester P Nuneaton P; Newbury 23 Blackheath 25; Redruth 7 Launceston 9; Stourbridge P Sedgley Pk P; Tynedale P Otley P; Wharfedale P Blaydon P. Two North: Broadstreet P Leicester Lions P; Harrogate P Westoe P; Huddersfield P Caldy P; Hull 27 Hull Ionians 7; Kendal P Fylde P; Loughborough Students 42 Rugby 3; Preston G P Macclesfield P; Waterloo 8 Bradford & Bingley 17. Two South: Canterbury 13 Barking 17; Dings Crusaders P Lydney P; Ealing 24 Richmond 16; Henley P Clifton P; Rosslyn Pk 51 Barnes 9; Southend 32 Shelford 20; Worthing P Westcombe Pk P. Ulster (15)..........15 Munster (10) ....10 Ulster: Tries: Danielli 2. Conversions: Humphreys. Penalties: Humphreys. Munster: Tries: de Villiers. Conversions: Warwick. Penalties: Warwick. P W D L F A B Pt Glasgow W ....9 6 1 2 190 135 1 27 Leinster ........9 6 0 3 174 117 2 26 Ospreys ........9 5 1 3 164 133 3 25 Munster ........9 5 0 4 162 132 5 25 Edinburgh R ..9 5 0 4 178 156 3 23 Newport G D ..9 5 0 4 148 167 2 22 Cardiff Blues..9 4 0 5 163 157 3 19 Ulster............9 4 0 5 156 163 3 19 Scarlets ........9 2 0 7 146 178 5 13 Connacht ......9 2 0 7 107 250 1 9 Welsh Premier: Bedwas P Aberavon P; Carmarthen P Llandovery P; Cross Keys P Cardiff P; Llanelli 18 Swansea 31; Neath 64 Pontypool 6; Newport P Glamorgan W P; Pontypridd P Ebbw Vale P. Division One East: All Games Postponed. West: All Games Postponed.
MAGNERS LEAGUE
Saturday Connacht ..........P Leinster ..........P Edinburgh R (9)..15 Glasgow W (14) 22 Edinburgh Rugby: Penalties: Paterson 5. Glasgow Warriors: Tries: van der Merwe, Stortoni. Penalties: Parks 3. Drop Goals: Parks.
CYCLING
National Results: VC Londres Madison Cyclo-Cross (Herne Hill, London): 1 H Humphreys & I Paine; 2 W Sinclair & M Zietz; 3 T Johnstone & C Hall. London Cyclo-Cross League (Overall, after 12 rounds): 1 D Barclay (Arctic Premier RT) 574pts; 2 M Holmes (Arctic Premier RT)
LUGE
Viessmann World Cup, Konigssee, Germany: Yesterday: Leading final positions after the Men's Singles: 1 A
THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday Birm'ham & S (10)10 Bedford (27) ....49 Coventry............P Doncaster ........P
Football results
FA CUP THIRD ROUND
Yesterday Chelsea (3) ........5 Watford (0) ......0
Sturridge 5, 68 Eustace 15 (og) Malouda 22 Lampard 64 Att 74,526 Cresswell 45
Att 40,912
Man Utd (0)........0 Leeds Utd (1) ....1
Beckford 19 Simpson 39 Att 11,461 Ramsey 78 Eduardo 83
Gillingham ......P Blackburn (0)....1 Kalinic 55 Att 25,453 Ipswich (1) ........2 Colback 3 Garvan 77 Lincoln (0)........0 Att 11,193
Notts County ....P Forest Green ....P Sheff Utd (1)........1 QPR (1) ............1 Tranmere ..........L Wolves ............L West Ham (1) ......1 Arsenal (0) ......2
Diamanti 45 Att 25,549
Saturday Accrington St ....P Aston Villa (2) ....3 Delfouneso 12 Cuellar 37 Carew 90 (pen) Blackpool (0) ......1 Ormerod 51 Att 7,332 Bolton (0) ..........4 Swaibu 49 (og) Lee 51, Cahill 83 Davies M 90 Brentford ........P Bristol City ........P Everton (1)..........3 Vaughan 12, Cahill 82 Baines 90 (pen) Fulham (1) ..........1 Zamora 16 Huddersfield (0) 0 Att 13,472
Scunthorpe (0)....1 Hayes 68 Sheff Wed (1) ......1 Hill 44 (og) Att 8,690 Southampton (1) 1 Lambert 36 Stoke (2) ............3 Parslow 24 (og) Fuller 25 Etherington 58 Sunderland (1) ....3 Malbranque 17 Campbell 52, 58 Torquay (0) ........0 Att 4,028 Tottenham (1) ....4 Kranjcar 35, 57 Defoe 70 Keane 90 (pen) Wigan (0) ..........4 N'Zogbia 47, 66 McCarthy 63 Sinclair 90
Reading (1) ........1 Liverpool (1)......1 Church 24 Gerrard 36 Att 23,656 Barnsley (0) ....0 Att 5,457 Crystal Pal (1)....2 Danns 19 Andrew 68 Luton (0)..........0 Att 18,786 York (1) ............1 Barrett 22 Att 15,586 Barrow (0) ......0 Att 25,190 Brighton (0) ......1 Crofts 77 Peterboro (0) ..0 Att 35,862 Hull City (1) ......1 Geovanni 35 Att 5,335
COCA-COLA LEAGUE TWO
Saturday Bournemouth (0)0 Northampton (2)2 Guttridge 5 Gilligan 16 Att 5,715 Bradford (1) ........1 Cheltenham (0) 1 O'Brien J 35 Richards 54 (pen) Att 10,831 Chesterfield (0) ..0 Shrewsbury (1) ..1 Hibbert 38 Att 3,601 Darlington ........P Port Vale ........P Grimsby (0) ........1 Bury (0) ............1 Akpa-Akpro 60 Lowe 90 (pen) Att 3,463 Hereford ..........P Crewe ............P Macclesfield ......P Morecambe ....P Rochdale ..........P Rotherham ......P P W D L F A Pts Rochdale ........24 16 3 5 53 23 51 Bournemouth ..24 14 4 6 28 24 46 Rotherham ......21 11 6 4 33 21 39 Shrewsbury......25 10 8 7 36 31 38 Notts County ....22 10 7 5 47 21 37 Dagenham ......23 10 7 6 36 29 37 Aldershot ........22 10 6 6 38 28 36 Bury................23 10 6 7 32 33 36 Chesterfield ....23 11 2 10 36 33 35 Morecambe......24 8 10 6 42 37 34 Accrington St....22 10 3 9 35 33 33 Crewe..............23 9 3 11 38 39 30 Bradford..........23 7 9 7 33 37 30 Port Vale..........22 6 11 5 25 24 29 Burton ............22 8 5 9 34 34 29 Northampton ..24 7 8 9 33 35 29 Barnet ............23 7 7 9 24 29 28 Macclesfield ....22 6 9 7 28 33 27 Torquay ..........23 6 7 10 32 33 25 Hereford..........22 6 7 9 26 32 25 Cheltenham ....24 5 9 10 28 39 24 Lincoln ............22 6 4 12 15 29 22 Grimsby ..........24 3 9 12 18 38 18 Darlington ......21 2 2 17 10 45 8
P Rangers ..........19 Celtic ..............18 Hibernian ........18 Dundee Utd ......18 Hearts ............19 Aberdeen ........17 Motherwell ......18 St Johnstone ....17 St Mirren..........17 Hamilton ........16 Kilmarnock ......18 Falkirk ............17
W 13 11 9 7 6 5 4 5 4 4 3 2
D 5 4 6 7 6 6 8 4 5 4 5 6
L 1 3 3 4 7 6 6 8 8 8 10 9
F A Pts 47 13 44 37 19 37 26 15 33 22 23 28 18 20 24 13 18 21 21 29 20 24 30 19 19 25 17 15 26 16 12 23 14 14 27 12
IRN-BRU SCOTTISH FIRST DIVISION
Yesterday Dundee (0) ........0 Airdrie Utd (1) ..1
McDonald 25 (pen) Att 4,319
Saturday Dunfermline ....P Raith ..............P Inverness CT ......P Ross County ....P Queen of South ..P Ayr ................P P W D L F A Pts Dundee............20 11 7 2 29 16 40 Queen of South 18 9 5 4 30 17 32 Ross County ....18 9 5 4 28 22 32 Partick ............18 8 5 5 31 21 29 Inverness CT ....19 7 7 5 29 21 28 Dunfermline ....18 7 5 6 23 21 26 Raith ..............17 6 5 6 18 19 23 Morton ............18 5 0 13 20 37 15 Ayr..................17 2 6 9 12 28 12 Airdrie Utd ......19 2 5 12 19 37 11
COCA-COLA LEAGUE ONE
Saturday Hartlepool (2) ....2 Oldham (0) ......1 Jones 32 Abbott 88 Monkhouse 40 Att 2,634 Leyton Orient ....P Yeovil ..............P Walsall ............P Charlton ........P Wycombe (0)......0 Norwich (0) ......1 Att 7,171 Smith 77 P W D L F A Pts Leeds ..............23 17 5 1 45 13 56 Norwich ..........24 14 6 4 51 27 48 Charlton ..........24 13 9 2 46 27 48 Colchester........23 13 6 4 39 21 45 Huddersfield ....23 11 5 7 46 28 38 Swindon ..........22 10 8 4 31 29 38 Millwall ..........24 9 9 6 35 28 36 MK Dons ..........24 11 3 10 33 33 36 Bristol Rovers ..23 11 1 11 32 36 34 Walsall ............22 8 7 7 32 29 31 Hartlepool ......24 8 6 10 32 33 30 Brentford ........24 7 9 8 22 26 30 Southend ........24 8 5 11 28 32 29 *Southampton..24 10 8 6 42 29 28 Yeovil ..............24 6 10 8 33 35 28 Carlisle............22 7 7 8 28 30 28 Gillingham ......24 7 5 12 29 34 26 Exeter ............24 6 8 10 26 35 26 Oldham ..........23 6 7 10 20 29 25 Brighton ..........24 6 6 12 30 43 24 Leyton Orient ..24 6 6 12 28 41 24 Tranmere ........23 6 3 14 21 43 21 Wycombe ........25 4 6 15 24 46 18 Stockport ........23 3 5 15 21 47 14 * 10 points deducted.
Doncaster ......P Cardiff ............P Carlisle (1) ........1 Hurst 18 Att 31,196 Swindon (0)......0 Att 19,623 West Brom (0) ..2 Dorrans 77 Wood 82 Leicester (1)........2 Swansea (1) ......1 King 39 Cotterill 10 N'Guessan 89 Att 12,307 Middlesbro (0) ..0 Man City (1) ......1 Att 12,474 Mwaruwari 45 Millwall (0) ........1 Derby (0) ..........1 Grabban 49 Commons 52 Att 10,531 MK Dons (0) ........1 Burnley (2) ......2 Morgan 89 Alexander 23 (pen) Att 11,816 S Fletcher 35 Nottm Forest (0) 0 Birmingham (0) 0 Att 20,975 Plymouth (0)......0 Newcastle (0) ..0 Att 16,451 Portsmouth (1)....1 Coventry (1) ......1 Boateng 45 Bell 30 Att 11,214 Preston (2) ........7 Colchester (0) ..0 Brown 13; Sedgwick 27 Att 7,621 Parkin 48, 50, 72 (pen) Williams 52 (og), Carter 64
SECOND DIVISION
Saturday Alloa ................P Stirling ..........P Arbroath ..........P Brechin ..........P Cowdenbeath ....P Clyde ..............P Dumbarton ......P Stenhousemuir P Peterhead ........P East Fife ..........P P W D L F A Pts Cowdenbeath ..17 10 4 3 28 14 34 Stirling ............17 9 5 3 29 21 32 Alloa ..............17 8 4 5 19 16 28 Brechin............17 7 5 5 23 16 26 Dumbarton ......17 6 4 7 22 27 22 Peterhead........17 6 3 8 18 25 21 Stenhousemuir 17 5 5 7 20 19 20 East Fife ..........17 5 5 7 20 21 20 Arbroath..........17 4 4 9 17 29 16 Clyde ..............17 4 3 10 15 23 15
CLYDESDALE BANK SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Yesterday Celtic (0) ............1 Rangers (0) ......1
McDonald 79 Stokes 54
Saturday Dundee Utd (0) ..0 Att 10,032 Falkirk ..............P Motherwell ......P St Mirren (0) ......1 Innes 81
McCulloch 81 Att 58,300 Smith 45 Att 16,949
Aberdeen (1) ....1 Mulgrew 15 St Johnstone ....P Hamilton ........P Kilmarnock (0) 0 Att 4,917
Hibernian (0) ......1 Hearts (1)..........1
THIRD DIVISION
Saturday Berwick ............P East Stirling ......P Montrose ..........P Queens Park ......P Stranraer ..........P Livingston ......P Elgin City ........P Forfar ............P Albion ............P Annan Athletic P
P W D L F A Pts Livingston........16 11 1 4 32 13 34 East Stirling......16 10 2 4 21 18 32 Berwick ..........16 9 3 4 24 14 30 Forfar..............16 7 5 4 26 19 26 Albion ............16 5 8 3 14 11 23 Annan Athletic..16 5 5 6 13 14 20 Queens Park ....17 5 4 8 16 22 19 Stranraer ........16 4 4 8 14 22 16 Elgin City..........16 3 6 7 21 28 15 Montrose ........17 0 6 11 9 29 6 Highland League: Fraserburgh 3 Nairn County 1. All other games postponed. Yesterday: Huntly P Strathspey Thistle P. Leading Positions: 1 Cove Rangers (P 15 Pts 38); 2 Buckie Thistle (16-38); 3 Huntly (17-38); 4 Deveronvale (16-35); 5 Forres Mechanics (16-32); 6 Fraserburgh (15-31). Welsh Premier: Rhyl 1 Prestatyn Town 1. All other games postponed. Leading Positions: 1 The New Saints (P 18 Pts 41); 2 Llanelli (17-39); 3 Rhyl (18-33); 4 Aberystwyth (18-33); 5 Port Talbot (16-31); 6 Neath Athletic (15-29). Carling Irish Premiership: Crusaders 3 Portadown 2. All other games postponed. Blue Square South: Thurrock 1 Chelmsford 1. Leading Positions: 1 Newport County (P 23 Pts 56); 2 Woking (24-42); 3 Dover (25-41); 4 Chelmsford (24-41); 5 Braintree (22-39); 6 Thurrock (23-39). Ryman - Premier Division: AFC Hornchurch 2 Aveley 1; Canvey Is P Billericay P; Carshalton Ath. 0 Sutton 0; Cray Wanderers 1 Dartford 2; Hastings 5 Tonbridge 1; Hendon 3 Harrow 1; Kingstonian 1 Tooting & Mitcham 1; Margate 0 Maidstone Utd 1. All other games postponed. Leading Positions: 1 Dartford (P 20 Pts 51); 2 Hastings (24-40); 3 Kingstonian (22-36); 4 Wealdstone (1733); 5 Tooting & Mitcham (20-31); 6 Sutton (20-30). Division One North: East Thurrock Utd 5 Tilbury 2; Enfield Town 4 Cheshunt 0; Great Wakering Rovers 0 Concord Rangers 3; Heybridge 1 Maldon Town 0; Potters Bar P Northwood P; Romford FC 0 Ilford 0; VCD Athletic 0 Thamesmead Town 0; Wingate & Finchley 4 Leyton 0. All other games postponed. Leading Positions: 1 Lowestoft Town (P 18 Pts 45); 2 Thamesmead Town (24-42); 3 East Thurrock Utd (20-41); 4 Enfield Town (22-41); 5 Concord Rangers (19-38); 6 Great Wakering Rovers (23-36). South: Chipstead 0 Merstham 1; Eastbourne Town 0 Horsham YMCA 0. All other games postponed. Leading Positions: 1 Folkestone Invicta (P 21 Pts 50); 2 Worthing (22-43); 3 Godalming Town (20-39); 4 Walton & Hersham (21-37); 5 Croydon Athletic (19-36); 6 Fleet Town (20-33). Zamaretto League - Premier Division:
Nuneaton Town P Leamington P. Leading Positions: 1 Farnborough FC (P 18 Pts 45); 2 Brackley Town (21-37); 3 Cambridge City (19-36); 4 Nuneaton Town (16-31); 5 Bashley (18-31); 6 Halesowen (21-30). Division One Midlands: Soham Town Rangers 0 Bury Town 3. All other games postponed. Leading Positions: 1 Hitchin (P 18 Pts 44); 2 Bury Town (20-43); 3 Slough (19-38); 4 Burnham (17-35); 5 Chesham (19-32); 6 Biggleswade Town FC (20-28). South and West: All games postponed. Leading Positions: 1 Windsor & Eton (P 20 Pts 52); 2 AFC Totton (1741); 3 Paulton Rovers (20-37); 4 Bridgwater Town (17-35); 5 VT FC (17-35); 6 Frome Town (21-35). Combined Counties Premier: Bedfont 2 North Greenford United 3; Chertsey Town 1 Hanworth Villa 0. All other games postponed. Essex Senior Premier: Barking 1 Takeley 0; Clapton 2 Bowers & Pitsea 1; Tiptree United 1 Burnham Ramblers 3; Witham Town 4 Mauritius Sports Association 2. All other games postponed. Kent Premier: Beckenham Town 4 Holmesdale 3; Corinthian 1 Erith & Belvedere 3; Greenwich Borough 3 Faversham Town 2; Herne Bay 3 Tunbridge Wells 0; Sporting Bengal United 3 Norton Sports 0. All other games postponed. Sussex County Division One: Crowborough Athletic 2 St Francis Rangers 3; Lingfield P Whitehawk P; Pagham 1 Crawley Down 2; Three Bridges 6 Hassocks FC 0. All other games postponed. Eastern Counties Premier: CRC 5 Haverhill Rovers 0; Debenham LC 0 Wroxham 1; Felixstowe & Walton United 1 Woodbridge Town 5. All other games postponed. Hellenic Premier: Ascot United 0 Reading Town 3. All other games postponed. United Counties Premier: Stotfold 2 Holbeach United 2. All other games postponed. Spartan South Midlands Premier: Broxbourne Borough 2 Aylesbury FC 2; Chalfont St Peter 5 Biggleswade United 1; Oxhey Jets A Hertford Town A. All other games postponed. Toolstation Western Premier: Barnstaple Town 1 Dawlish Town 0; Bitton FC 0 Welton Rovers 2; Ilfracombe Town 0 Bideford 1. All other games postponed. Northern League Division One: All games postponed. North West Counties Premier Division: All games postponed. North East Counties Premier: All games postponed. Midland Alliance: Stratford Town 3 Studley 2. All other games postponed. Sydenhams Wessex League: Blackfield & Langley 1 Laverstock & Ford 2; Hamworthy United 0 Wimborne Town
1. All other games postponed.
SPANISH LEAGUE
Yesterday Almeria (0) ........1 Xerez (0) ..........0
Ortiz Jose 89
Getafe (0) ..........1 Valladolid (0) ..0
Casquero 83
Mallorca ..........L Athl Bilbao ......L Osasuna ............L Real Madrid ....L R Santander (0) ..2 Tenerife (0) ......0
Colsa 72 Xisco 75
Real Zaragoza (0)0 Deportivo (0)....0 Sporting Gijon (1) 2 Malaga (1) ........2
Arnolin 45 Canella 69
Duda 9 Welington 60
Saturday Atl Madrid (0) ....2 Seville (1) ..........1
Dragutinovic 48 (og) Renato 44 Lopez 90 Att 35,000
Barcelona (1) ......1 Villarreal (0) ....1
Pedrito 7
Fuster 51 Att 90,000 Att 48,000
W 12 12 9 9 8 8 9 8 6 5 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 2 3 1 D 4 1 5 3 4 3 0 2 4 6 5 7 4 4 4 4 3 7 4 4 L 0 2 2 4 4 4 7 5 6 5 7 6 7 8 8 8 9 7 9 11 F A Pts 37 10 40 40 13 37 28 16 32 27 15 30 19 16 28 28 18 27 26 22 27 21 18 26 25 20 22 17 17 21 23 28 17 22 27 16 14 19 16 19 25 16 16 26 16 10 22 16 15 30 15 19 23 13 17 35 13 6 29 7
Valencia (0) ........1 Espanyol (0) ....0
Zigic 90
P Barcelona ........16 Real Madrid......15 Valencia ..........16 Seville ............16 Deportivo ........16 Mallorca ..........15 Getafe ............16 Athl Bilbao ......15 Villarreal ........16 Sporting Gijon ..16 Atl Madrid........16 Valladolid ........16 Osasuna ..........15 R Santander ....16 Almeria ..........16 Espanyol..........16 Tenerife ..........16 Malaga ............16 Real Zaragoza ..16 Xerez ..............16
Football on TV
Partick Thistle v Morton BBC ALBA (From 19.30)
THE INDEPENDENT MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010
SPORT 19
Farrelly modest after Master class
RACING
2 Jockey makes it a double in Sussex National after Plumpton beats the freeze
By Sue Montgomery
A VENUE below the Premier League it may be but, like Leeds United, Plumpton can punch above its weight. The little country course in the northern shadows of the South Downs provides no small test and is a regular nursery for future talent; the last three Grand National winners honed their youthful skills by winning round its tight, tricky, undulating contours. Eleven months ago the place earned its line in the history books by providing the setting for Tony McCoy's 3,000th career winner and yesterday the gratitude of all involved in jump racing by beating the freeze. It may be the last meeting of its kind for a while, too. Confirmed losses are Lingfield and Wetherby today and Taunton tomorrow; sport at Leicester tomorrow is unlikely; of Wednesday's fixtures Hexham is snowbound and Southwell faces temperatures of minus six; prospects for frosty Ludlow on Thursday will be assessed tomorrow. Plumpton, though, provided plenty to warm the faithful who turned up for the track's richest day of the season. Principal honours went to trainer David Pipe and rider Johnny Farrelly, who notched a double with smartlooking Notus De La Tour (7-2) in the juvenile hurdle and Master Overseer (9-2) in the day's feature, the �20,000 At The Races Sussex National. The last-named contest was one of
Chris McGrath
Nap: Danger Mulally (4.05 Wolverhampton) Next Best: Dark Ranger (4.35 Wolverhampton)
markedly changing fortunes in the home straight. Three fences out Master Overseer forged to the front; two out his momentum disappeared with an awkward leap; by the last 100-30 favourite Tarquinius had regained the initiative and landed clear. At that point their chances were judged, respectively, as 15-1 and 1-5 by those betting-in-running but Farrelly � in the saddle because stable first choice Tom Scudamore was suspended � never gave up and, in the final stride, claimed the prize by a head. The jockey deflected praise for his efforts. "It wasn't a fantastic ride at all," he said. "All I had to do was keep pushing and shoving. He's very slow but he's fit as can be."
In that case, let the ride of the day nomination go to Liam Treadwell who forced Nomecheki home by a shorthead in the novices' chase. The eight-year-old, always travelling the best of the five runners, took command at the penultimate obstacle only to slip a stride after it and do the splits behind. He not only recovered but overtook the targets in front of him despite his rider having lost a stirrup in the stumble. Nomecheki carries the colours of one of the country's leading owners, Andy Stewart, who reported that the next run for his Paul Nicholls-trained champion Big Buck's will be the defence of his World Hurdle title at the Cheltenham Festival.
Wolverhampton
HYPERION 1.55 Wunder Strike 2.30 Sir Edwin Landseer 3.05 High Constable 3.35 Bee Stinger 4.05 Danger Mulally 4.35 National Monument 5.05 Blue Lyric 5.35 Party In The Park
Live on TV: ATR GOING: Standard STALLS: 7f Outside; Remainder Inside DRAW ADVANTAGE: No advantage in the draw All Weather: Tight left handed polytrack, 180yd run-in BLINKERED FIRST TIME: None. LONG DISTANCE RUNNER: Colonel Sherman (5.35) has been sent 202 miles.
2
00535- SIR EDWIN LANDSEER (5) (D)(BF) G L Moore 10 11 4 ......... ........................................................Harry Bentley (7) V 8 33375- RADIATOR ROONEY (4) (D)(BF) P Morris 7 10 3 ................. ......................................................................K Fox (7) V 6 3 09375- GOWER (13) (C)(D) R J Price 6 9 2 ................................ ......................................................J Cavanagh (7) C 2 4 /5776- DESERT DUST (13) (C) H Collingridge 7 8 11 ........S Donohoe 5 5 9592-6 EQUINITY (2) (D) J Pearce 4 8 11......................S Golam T 3 6 93446- INTERCHOICE STAR (7) R Hollinshead 5 8 11.........C Catlin C 7 7 04885- PENINSULAR WAR (14) R Fahey 4 8 11...........T Hamilton 1 8 55430- RIDE A WHITE SWAN (23) D Shaw 5 8 11 .........M Lane (3) 4 9 85837- WELL OF ECHOES (5) (BF) A McCabe 4 8 6 ......................... ...................................................................A Mullen C,T 9 - 9 declared BETTING: 11-4 Peninsular War, 3-1 Sir Edwin Landseer, 6-1 Radiator Rooney, 13-2 Interchoice Star, 8-1 Well Of Echoes, Equinity, 14-1 Gower, 16-1 Ride A White Swan, 20-1 Desert Dust.
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
FUJIN DANCER (19) (C) K Ryan 5 9 4 ..................N Callan 3 BLACKSTONE VEGAS (J92) D Shaw 4 9 2 ........M Lane (3) 6 QUINCE (19) (C)(D) J Pearce 7 9 2....................S Golam V 7 SOLARIAS QUEST (J635) (D) W Brisbourne 8 9 1........S W Kelly 2 BEE STINGER (19) (C)(D)(BF) P R Hedger 8 8 13 ........D O'Neill 8 ROYAL RAINBOW (21) P Hiatt 6 8 13 ....................C Catlin 5 MRS SLOCOMBE (J32) Mrs N Evans 4 8 5 .........Rachel King (7) 1 - 8 declared BETTING: 2-1 Fujin Dancer, 4-1 Bee Stinger, 9-2 Quince, 5-1 Naxox, 7-1 Blackstone Vegas, 12-1 Royal Rainbow, 20-1 Solarias Quest, 25-1 Mrs Slocombe.
/462279/720225871097/ 272168606300450-
9 09634- MACKINTOSH (7) P Morris 4 8 10....................K Fox (7) B 5 10 06005- TURN TO DREAMS (16) P Evans 4 8 6 ........A Heffernan (5) V 10 11 /0078- VALENTINE BAY (J19) M Mullineaux 4 8 4 .........G Fairley 9 - 11 declared Minimum weight: 8st 5lb. True handicap weights: Valentine Bay 8st 3lb. BETTING: 3-1 Shake On It, 5-1 Dark Ranger, 6-1 Spinning Ridge, 7-1 Turn To Dreams, Mackintosh, 8-1 Mighty Mover, 10-1 others.
5.05
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 63611000528434324900111162546745-
BETDAQ ON 0870 178 1221 HANDICAP (CLASS 5) 3YO �3,600 added 7f
4.05
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 153551109714954411249794905-
BETDAQ HANDICAP (CLASS 5) �3,600 added 1m 1f 103yds
1.55
1 2 3 4 25441663220725965913-
BET WORLD DARTS - BETDAQ APPRENTICE HANDICAP (CLASS 5) �3,600 added 1m 1f
3.05
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 5) �3,600 added 1m 1f
QUICK RELEASE (16) (C)(D) D M Simcock 5 9 6 .......M Lane 5 BAWAARDI (16) (BF) R Fahey 4 9 5 ..............L Topliss (5) 3 NORA MAE (22) S Kirk 4 9 5 ......................T Atkinson (3) 2 JUSTCALLMEHANDSOME (16) (C)(D) D F Davis 8 9 5 ......... .....................................................................B Cray (3) V 7 5 56215- ELLA WOODCOCK (17) (C)(D) E Alston 6 8 12........K Fox (3) 9 6 92453- PRIDE OF NATION (7) A McCabe 8 8 11 ..............J Jones C 4 7 30008- AFLAAM (25) R Harris 5 8 10 ........................A Heffernan 1 8 00881- FORWARD FELINE (23) (C) B Palling 4 8 8 .......A Morgan 8 9 3111-1 WUNDER STRIKE (2) J Boyle 4 8 12(6ex) ........M Davies C 6 - 9 declared BETTING: 11-4 Wunder Strike, 7-2 Forward Feline, 5-1 Bawaardi, 6-1 Quick Release, 10-1 Justcallmehandsome, Ella Woodcock, 12-1 Pride of Nation, 14-1 Nora Mae, 16-1 Aflaam.
0- BARONY (7) L Smyth (IRE) 4 9 12 .............J P Sullivan (5) 1 BOXER SHORTS M Mullineaux 4 9 12 .................G Fairley 9 67322- CHARLIE SMIRKE (15) G L Moore 4 9 12 .........D Sweeney 6 84/45- GIANT STRIDES (356) P Evans 4 9 7...............R Evans (5) 5 55- SILKEN SANDS (15) C Cox 4 9 7............................A Kirby 4 BEYOND J Noseda 3 8 5 .......................................C Catlin 2 BIG ERIC P Evans 3 8 5 ............................A Heffernan (5) 3 4- GREYFRIARSCHORISTA (153) M Johnston 3 8 5................... .........................................................................J Fanning 8 9 3- HIGH CONSTABLE (30) (BF) R Charlton 3 8 5 .....M Dwyer 7 - 9 declared BETTING: 7-4 High Constable, 3-1 Beyond, 7-2 Greyfriarschorista, 7-1 Charlie Smirke, 8-1 Silken Sands, 20-1 Giant Strides, 25-1 Big Eric, 50-1 Barony, 100-1 Boxer Shorts.
BROOKLANDS BAY (79) (C)(D) J Weymes 3 9 4........J Quinn 6 IF I WERE A BOY (16) (C)(D) S Kirk 3 9 2 ..........Lee Newnes (5) C 1 DANGER MULALLY (26) A Balding 3 9 1 ........D Probert T 4 JAZZ AGE (19) J A Glover 3 8 10 ...........................C Catlin 2 MARY HELEN (23) (C)(D) W Brisbourne 3 8 6.........S W Kelly 5 SECOND BROOK (23) R Hollinshead 3 8 4 ........Hayley Turner 3 A P LING (31) C Kellett 3 8 4 ................................S Golam 7 - 7 declared Minimum weight: 8st 4lb. True handicap weights: Second Brook 7st 12lb, A P Ling 7st 10lb. BETTING: 2-1 Danger Mulally, 10-3 If I Were A Boy, 7-2 Mary Helen, 11-2 Brooklands Bay, 15-2 Jazz Age, 14-1 Second Brook, 50-1 A P Ling.
BLUE LYRIC (33) (D) L Cumani 9 4 ......................N Callan 5 ITSTHURSDAYALREADY (9) J Given 9 3.......J-P Guillambert 6 STERNLIGHT (97) E McMahon 9 3 ...................G Gibbons 3 RAMAMARA (15) P Evans 9 1 ..................A Heffernan (5) 4 LISAHANE BOG (29) (D) P R Hedger 9 0 ..........D O'Neill C 1 PUSH ME (17) (C)(D) A McCabe 8 7 ...................S W Kelly 7 LAYLA'S LAD (17) (BF) R Fahey 8 6...................J Fanning 2 - 7 declared BETTING: 6-4 Blue Lyric, 4-1 Lisahane Bog, 6-1 Itsthursdayalready, 132 Sternlight, 8-1 Push Me, Layla's Lad, 20-1 Ramamara.
5.35
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 28366/79885916583678/90162822-2 00070600783212286373-
HANDICAP (DIV 2) (CLASS 6) �2,100 added 1m 1f
4.35
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 22305334806860738854126974704133160-
HANDICAP (DIV 1) (CLASS 6) �2,100 added 1m 1f
2.30
SPONSOR A RACE BY CALLING 01902 390000 SELLING STAKES (CLASS 6) �2,600 added 6f
3.35
1
CLAIMING STAKES (CLASS 6) �2,600 added 1m 4f
72/26- NAXOX (23) (D) G Baker 9 9 5 ......................M Davies (5) 4
SPINNING RIDGE (7) (C) R Harris 5 9 5............A Culhane 8 NATIONAL MONUMENT (100) J Osborne 4 9 4 ........S W Kelly 6 INSIDE STORY (7) (C)(D) C Dore 8 9 3 .............L Keniry B 3 DARK RANGER (22) T Pitt 4 9 2 ..........................R Havlin 2 ALFREDTHEORDINARY (30) M Channon 5 9 2.......S Hitchcott 11 SHAKE ON IT (17) (C)(D) M Hoad 6 9 1 ............J Jones (5) 1 MIGHTY MOVER (35) (C)(D)(BF) B Palling 8 8 13................ ........................................................................D Probert 7 7785-6 KHESKIANTO (2) M Chapman 4 8 13 .............D Kenny (7) 4
JORD (17) (C) J A Glover 6 9 5 ..............................C Catlin 1 CHIA (7) (C)(D) D Haydn Jones 7 9 3................D O'Neill C 2 PACIFIC BAY (J18) D McCain Jnr 4 9 2.................S Craine 4 OBE BRAVE (7) (C) L Smyth (IRE) 7 9 2 ........J P Sullivan (5) 5 TALLEST PEAK (17) (C)(BF) M Quinlan 5 9 2 .....A Kirby B 6 PARTY IN THE PARK (2) J Boyle 5 9 0 ..........M Davies (5) 7 COLONEL SHERMAN (13) P Kirby 5 8 13.............L Vickers 3 THE GRAIG (21) (C)(D) J Holt 6 8 12 ..............J O'Dwyer T 8 JOIN UP (7) W Brisbourne 4 8 10 ..............R Atkinson (5) 9 KIRSTYS LAD (16) (C)(D) M Mullineaux 8 8 5 ........G Fairley 10 - 10 declared BETTING: 9-4 Party In The Park, 7-2 Join Up, 5-1 Tallest Peak, 7-1 Kirstys Lad, 8-1 Pacific Bay, 10-1 Jord, 14-1 Chia, 16-1 Obe Brave, 33-1 others.
Racing results
KEMPTON
Going: Standard 2.05 1. MASTER OF DANCE (P Hills) 4-9 fav; 2. Brenda Duke 33-1; 3. Lily Lily 4-1. 5 ran. 11/2l, 3/4l. (R Hannon). Tote: �1.50; �1.20, �8.40. Exacta: �27.90. CSF: �16.98. 2.35 1. HEREFORD BOY (R Havlin) 12-1; 2. Prince Of Thebes 12-1; 3. Istiqdaam 4-1 jtfav. 10 ran. 4-1 jt-fav Mister Green (5th). 1l, hd. (D Ivory). Tote: �12.40; �4.00, �4.00, �2.00. Exacta: �98.40. Tricast: �531.22. CSF: �145.81. 3.05 1. AVENUESNALLEYWAYS (J Crowley) 11-4; 2. Singingintherain 9-2; 3. Tatawor 52 fav. 9 ran. 13/4l, 1/2l. (R Beckett). Tote: �3.30; �1.40, �1.10, �2.50. Exacta: �12.20. CSF: �15.40. NR: Starwatch. 3.35 1. TRIPITAKA (N Callan) 4-1 fav; 2. Paktolos 6-1; 3. Dreamwalk 14-1. 13 ran. 2l, hd. (M Jarvis). Tote: �3.90; �1.20, �3.00, �3.80. Exacta: �46.60. Tricast: �312.62. CSF: �27.64. 4.05 1. TIDDLIWINKS (N Callan) 5-2 jt-fav; 2. Perfect Act 5-2 jt-fav; 3. Dvinsky 6-1. 7 ran. 13/4l, nk. (K Ryan). Tote: �3.60; �1.60, �2.10. Exacta: �8.50. Tricast: �32.00. CSF: �8.67. NRs: Methaaly, New Leyf. 4.35 1. NACHO LIBRE (G Gibbons) 5-2 jt-fav; 2. Valentino Swing 13-2; 3. Goodbye Cash 5-1. 9 ran. 5-2 jt-fav Resplendent Nova (7th). 21/2l, 1l. (M W Easterby). Tote: �3.40; �1.70, �1.70, �2.00. Exacta: �17.80. Tricast: �75.77. CSF: �19.46. Placepot: �15.70. Quadpot: �5.40. Place 6: �13.82. Place 5: �9.95.
PLUMPTON
Going: Heavy 12.50 1. NOTUS DE LA TOUR (J Farrelly) 7-2; 2. Ranjobaie 4-11 fav; 3. Beau Fighter 16-1. 11 ran. 6l, 12l. (D Pipe). Tote: �4.40; �1.20, �1.02, �2.10. Exacta: �8.20. CSF: �5.08. NRs: Captain Willoughby, Myshkin, Sail And Return.
1.20 1. NOMECHEKI (L Treadwell) 3-1;2. I Have Dreamed 3-1; 3. Miss Sarenne 6-4 fav. 5 ran. shd, 3/4l. (N Gifford). Tote: �3.80; �1.80, �1.70. Exacta: �10.00. CSF: �12.16. 1.50 1. STONEY'S TREASURE (R Thornton) 11-4; 2. Pete The Feat 28-1; 3. Barak O'barma 100-1. 11 ran. 13-8 fav Fabulous Fred (did not finish). 2l, 1/2l. (A King). Tote: �3.60; �1.60, �3.70, �14.90. Exacta: �69.70. CSF: �73.02. 2.20 1. MASTER OVERSEER (J Farrelly) 9-2; 2. Tarquinius 10-3 fav; 3. Shaka's Pearl 8-
1. 12 ran. hd, 21/4l. (D Pipe). Tote:�5.80; �1.90, �1.60, �2.80. Exacta: �14.80. Tricast: �115.64. Trifecta: �79.10. CSF: �20.45. NR: Temoin. 2.55 1. NEAR THE WATER (L Aspell) 9-2; 2. Sebastiano 3-1 fav; 3. Have You Seen Me 81. 11 ran. 11/4l, 3/4l. (R Rowe). Tote: �5.50; �2.20, �1.90, �3.40. Exacta: �19.70. Tricast: �107.70. CSF: �18.42. NR: Owain James. 3.25 1. SENOR SHANE (C Studd) 9-2;2. Omme Antique 3-1 fav; 3. Signs of Love 9-1. 10 ran. 3 /4l, 23l. (C Gordon). Tote: �5.00; �1.80, �1.60,
�2.40. Exacta: �22.20. Tricast: �114.02. CSF: �17.97. NRs: Black Ven, Noble Bily. 3.55 1. BRACKLOON HIGH (R Johnson) 15-8; 2. Frontier Spirit 10-11 fav; 3. Back At The Ranch 9-1. 6 ran. 16l, 23/4l. (N Chance). Tote: �2.70; �1.50, �1.10. Exacta: �4.10. CSF: �3.65. NR: Mr Navigator. Jackpot: �14,467.50. Placepot: �25.30. Quadpot: �13.40. Place 6: �30.03. Place 5: �29.94.
Fixtures for the week ahead
TODAY
(Football 7.45 unless stated) Cricket: Third Test Match - Day two of five: South Africa v England (Cape Town, 8.30am). Second Test Match - Day two of five: Australia v Pakistan (Sydney, 11.30). International Triangular Series: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dhaka, 8.30). Football: Irn-Bru Scottish First Division: Partick Thistle v Morton Motor Racing (all week): Dakar Rally (Argentina and Chile). Racing (Flat meetings in caps): WOLVERHAMPTON (AW). Skiing (all week): FIS Cross Country World Cup (Tour de Ski). Tennis (all week): ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open (Doha, Qatar), ATP Chennai Open (Chennai, India), ATP & WTA Brisbane International (Brisbane, Australia), WTA Tour: ASB Classic: (Auckland, New Zealand), AEGON British Tour Billesley (Wheelers Lane, Billesley, Birmingham).
Skiing: FIS Ski Jumping World Cup (Bischofshofen, Austria).
WEDNESDAY
Football: Carling Cup Semi-Final First Leg: Manchester City v Manchester United. Barclays Premier League: Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers. Ice Hockey: Elite League: Sheffield v Cardiff (7.30). Racing: Hexham, Southwell, KEMPTON PARK (AW), LINGFIELD PARK (AW). Skiing: FIS Alpine World Cup (Schladming, Austria and Zagreb, Croatia). Snowboarding: FIS Snowboarding World Cup (Kreischberg, Autstria).
THURSDAY
Cricket: International Triangular Series: Bangladesh v India (Dhaka, 8.30). Golf (until Sunday): USPGA Tour SBS Championship (Kapalua, Hawaii), European Tour Africa Open (East London GC, Eastern Cape, South Africa). Racing: Huntingdon, Ludlow, SOUTHWELL (AW), KEMPTON PARK (AW).
Cefn Druids v Gap Connah's Quay (7.30), Llanelli v Port Talbot (7.30), Welshpool Town v Aberystwyth (7.30). Ice Skating (until Sunday): ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships (Taipei City, Taiwan). Racing: Bangor-on-dee, Fontwell Park, LINGFIELD PARK (AW), WOLVERHAMPTON (AW). Rugby Union: Guinness Premiership: Sale v Saracens (7.45). Magners League: Connacht v Newport-Gwent Dragons (6.30), Leinster v Glasgow (8.0), Ulster v Ospreys (7.05). Skiing (all weekend): FIS Ski Jumping World Cup (Taplitz/Bad Mitterndorf, Austria).
SATURDAY
(Football & Rugby Union 3.0 unless stated) Athletics: IAAF Cross Country Permit Meetings: BUPA Edingburgh International Cross Country (Edingburgh). Basketball: BBL Championship: Worthing Thunder v Plymouth Raiders. BBL Trophy: Leicester Riders v Guildford Heat, London Capital v Everton Tigers. Cricket: Second Test Match: Australia v Pakistan (Sydney, 11.30). Football: Barclays Premier League: Arsenal v Everton, Birmingham City v Manchester United (5.30), Burnley v Stoke City, Fulham v Portsmouth, Hull City v Chelsea (12.45), Sunderland v Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic v Aston Villa. Coca-Cola Championship: Cardiff City v Blackpool, Coventry City v Barnsley,
TOMORROW
Bowls: WBT Potters World Indoor Bowls Championships (Hopton on Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk). Cricket: International Triangular Series: India v Sri Lanka (Dhaka, 8.30). Football: Carling Cup Semi-Final First Leg: Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa (8.0). Barclays Premier League: Stoke City v Fulham. Blue Square Premier: AFC Wimbledon v Wrexham. Racing: Leicester, SOUTHWELL (AW).
FRIDAY
Basketball: BBL Championship: Everton Tigers v Essex Pirates, Worcester Wolves v Cheshire Jets. Cricket: International Triangular Series: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dhaka, 8.30). Football: Coca-Cola Championship: West Bromwich Albion v Nottingham Forest. Welsh Premier League: Elements
Crystal Palace v Bristol City, Derby County v Scunthorpe United, Middlesbrough v Swansea City, Preston North End v Doncaster Rovers, Queen's Park Rangers v Plymouth Argyle, Reading v Newcastle United, Sheffield Wednesday v Peterborough United, Watford v Sheffield United. Coca-Cola League One: Brighton & Hove Albion v Brentford, Bristol Rovers v Stockport County, Carlisle United v Millwall, Charlton Athletic v Hartlepool United, Gillingham v Tranmere Rovers, Leeds United v Wycombe Wanderers, MK Dons v Swindon Town, Norwich City v Exeter, Oldham Athletic v Leyton Orient, Southampton v Huddersfield Town, Southend United v Walsall, Yeovil Town v Colchester United. Coca-Cola League Two: Aldershot v Rochdale, Bury v Darlington, Cheltenham Town v Hereford United, Crewe Alexandra v Grimsby Town, Lincoln City v Accrington Stanley, Morecambe v Burton, Northampton Town v Chesterfield, Notts County v Macclesfield Town, Port Vale v Bradford City, Rotherham United v Bournemouth, Shrewsbury Town v Barnet, Torquay United v Dagenham. Active Nation Scottish Cup Fourth Round: Aberdeen v Hearts, Albion Rovers v Stirling Albion, Ayr United v Brechin City, Dunfermline Athletic v Stenhousemuir, Edinburgh City v Montrose, Forfar Athletic v St Johnstone, Hamilton Academical v Rangers, Hibernian v Irvine Meadow, Inverness CT v Motherwell, Kilmarnock v Falkirk, Livingston v Dundee, Morton v Celtic, Partick Thistle v Dundee United, Raith Rovers v Airdrie
United, Ross County v Inverurie Locos, St Mirren v Alloa Athletic. Irn-Bru Scottish Second Division: Cowdenbeath v Arbroath, Peterhead v Clyde. Irn-Bru Scottish Third Division: Berwick Rangers v Stranraer, East Stirling v Queen's Park. Welsh Premier League: Bala Town v Newtown AFC (2.30), Caersws v CPD Porthmadog (2.30), Carmarthen v The New Saints (2.30), Haverfordwest v Prestatyn Town (2.30), Neath Athletic v Bangor City (2.30), Rhyl v Airbus UK (2.30). Blue Square Premier: Ebbsfleet v Kettering, Grays Ath v Hayes & Yeading, Mansfield Town v Luton Town. Blue Square Conference North: Droylsden v Gloucester, Farsley Celtic v Stafford, Hyde v Hinckley Utd, Ilkeston v Solihull Moors, Redditch v Northwich, Southport v Alfreton Town. South: Bishop's Stortford v Basingstoke, Dorchester v Thurrock, Hampton v Bath City, Havant & W'ville v St Albans, Welling v Weymouth, Weston S-M v Bromley. Ice Hockey: Elite League: Newcastle v Hull (6.30), Belfast v Sheffield (7.0), Cardiff v Coventry (7.0), Nottingham v Edinburgh (7.0). Ice Skating (all weekend): Essent ISU European Speed Skating Championships (Hamar, Norway). Racing: Ffos Las, LINGFIELD PARK (AW), Wincanton, Sedgefield. Rugby Union: Guinness Premiership: Bath v Northampton (2.15), Harlequins v Leeds Carnegie, Leicester v Wasps (5.30), Worcester v London Irish.
Magners League: Edinburgh v Cardiff Blues (6.30). National League The Championship: Bedford v Rotherham Titans, Doncaster v Plymouth Albion, Exeter v Birmingham & Solihull, Moseley v Bristol. National League One: Blackheath v Tynedale, Blaydon v Manchester (2.15), Cambridge v Stourbridge, Esher v Redruth, Launceston v London Scottish (2.30), Nuneaton v Cinderford, Otley v Wharfedale (2.15), Sedgley Park v Newbury (2.30). National League Two North: Bradford & Bingley v Huddersfield, Caldy v Harrogate, Fylde v Broadstreet, Hull Ionians v Kendal,Leicester Lions v Waterloo, Macclesfield v Hull, Rugby Lions v Preston Grasshoppers, Westoe v Loughborough Students. National League Two South: Barking v Dings Crusaders, Barnes v Henley, Clifton v Worthing, Lydney v Ealing, Richmond v Bridgwater & Albion, Shelford v Canterbury, Westcombe Park v Southend. Welsh Premier Division (2.30): Aberavon v Pontypool, Carmarthen Quins v Newport, Cross Keys v Llanelli, Ebbw Vale v Glamorgan Wanderers, Llandovery v Pontypridd, Neath v Bedwas, Swansea v Cardiff. Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division One: Ayr v Dundee HSFP (2.0), Currie v Boroughmuir, Heriots Rugby Club v Glasgow Hawks (2.0), Selkirk v Stewart's Melville FP (2.0), Watsonians v Edinburgh Acads, West of Scotland v Melrose (2.0). Irish Premier Division (2.30): Ballymena v UCC (2.0), Dolphin v Clontarf, Galwegians v Ballynahinch, Garryowen v Blackrock College, Old Belvedere
v Buccaneers, St Mary's College v Shannon, UL Bohemians v Cork Constitution, Young Munster v Dungannon. Skiing (all weekend): FIS Alpine World Cup (Haus im Ennstal, Austria and Adelboden, Switzerland). FIS Nordic Combined World Cup (Val di Fiemme, Italy). Snowboarding (all weekend): FIS Snowboarding World Cup (Bad Gastein, Austria).
SUNDAY
Basketball: BBL Championship: Cheshire Jets v Newcastle Eagles, Guildford Heat v London Capital. BBL Trophy: Plymouth Raiders v Worcester Wolves, Glasgow Rocks v Sheffield Sharks. Cricket: International Triangular Series: India v Sri Lanka (Dhaka, 8.30). Football: Barclays Premier League: Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur (4.0), West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers (1.30). Coca-Cola Championship: Leicester City v Ipswich Town. Ice Hockey: Elite League: Cardiff v Belfast (6.0), Sheffield v Edinburgh (6.0), Coventry v Newcastle (6.0), Hull v Nottingham (6.0). Racing: Hereford, SOUTHWELL (AW). Rugby Union: Guinness Premiership: Newcastle v Gloucester. Magners League: Munster v Scarlets (5.0). National League The Championship: Cornish Pirates v London Welsh, Nottingham v Coventry. Snooker (all next week): WPBSA The Masters (Wembley Arena, London).
20 SPORT
MONDAY 4 JANUARY 2010 THE INDEPENDENT
Dom Joly's
Weird World of Sport
It's pants, but I'm glued to Andre's hair
olidays are weird � I always end up watching too much television. What's weird, however, is that I'm not catching up on favourite shows or dipping into box sets of The Wire. For some reason I always watch things that I would normally do my utmost to avoid. Personally, I blame the Stilton, I believe it has evil qualities. Last night I watched something called The Biography Channel. Nothing wrong with that, you might think. It might be good for me to catch up on one-hour summaries of the lives of Kissinger, Ghandi and Irving Berlin. Sadly, these were not on offer. What I did end up watching were the biographies of first Andre the Giant and then "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, both stars of the wrestling world. It hasn't been a great Christmas. I've never really got into wrestling. I have to admit to enjoying the pantomime antics of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks when I was a kid but that was before I found out that it was all fake. Looking back, I must have been a really dim kid. I remember watching irate grannies wade into the bad guys with their handbags and never wondering why, if they could deck Big Daddy, they couldn't just give the granny a stiff elbow or hurl them back into the tenth row? It was, of course, because wrestling had a code of honour. They would fight each other but never touch a civilian. In a sense they were a bit like the Krays except they didn't kill people and wear rubber underwear. Back on the TV I was learning all about the weird life of Andre the Giant, a man who suffered from
H
`Stone Cold' Steve Austin (right) got his name from a cup of tea
GETTY IMAGES
Race to Vancouver
One more ice storm and I'm ready for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. I have a harness that allows my Labrador to pull my kids across frozen fields on a sled at over 40mph. I hope I'm still in time for the qualifiers?
Acromegaly, which meant that he was flipping enormous. I knew him from the movie The Princess Bride but had no idea that he was a wrestler. I just assumed that he was like the guy who played Jaws in the James Bond films. Andre was not an immediate hit in the world of wrestling and he had to be reinvented many times, as his numerous stage names revealed � Butcher Roussimoff, Monster Roussimoff, Eiffel Tower, Monster Eiffel Tower (he was born in France), Giant Machine and then, finally, Andre the Giant. His role seemed to be just lum-
American wrestling is all bells and whistles, in huge stadiums full of scary-looking rednecks
bering around in German-looking Speedos landing on people and crushing them. The real attraction to me was his extraordinarily awful hairstyle. Andre was in the American wrestling world, a universe away from the town halls of English wrestling. The American version is all bells and whistles, in huge stadi-
ums full of scary-looking rednecks screaming blue murder at the greased-up monsters in the ring. Although the fights are obviously fake, I am aware from bitter personal experience, that it's a very skilful thing to have to do and avoid injury. I once took part in a Lucha Libre fight in Mexico City. I was only in the ring for a minute � my character was "El Alcoholico" � but I got quite badly hurt. These guys might look like gay cartoon characters but they are tough. Back on my Christmas TV, I started to learn about "Stone Cold" Steve
Austin. He got his name from his girlfriend who had made him a cup of tea and warned that it would soon get stone cold. Hardly the most frightening of ideas but he combined the name with the "ice cold" attitude of a serial killer that he had seen on TV. It was the perfect combination � cold tea and butchery. A star was born. He really became huge when he started to give everyone, from the ref to the crowd, the middle finger. This apparently was an enormously significant moment and gained him superstar status. I must start doing that more on the telly. For the life of me, I can't understand the appeal of wrestling. If you're really stupid (and looking at the crowd this might be the case) then you may believe that the whole thing is real. If that's the case then I can see that it must be gripping. If however, you have an IQ in double figures then you must have better things to do than to spend hours watching big men in small pants grapple on the floor. All this, as I considered entering my third solid hour of viewing with a Hulk Hogan bio. I drew the line there however � I had to start taking the Christmas decorations down ... in my pants.
FA Cup lacking in glitter but darts remains pure gold
VIEW FROM THE SOFA
WORLD DARTS, FA CUP THIRD ROUND BBC, SKY, ITV
colour such would have been the figures involved. There were rings on his fingers and if there had been bells on his toes, they too would have been gold. There were more necklaces than necks at the Lakeside, although there weren't that many necks in evidence as they tended to get lost in a forest of chins. There were bracelets too. Close your eyes and with the clinking of jewellery and gruff South-eastern voices it was possible to imagine you were being sweet-talked by Pat Butcher. But like most things to do with darts, Bobby dazzling is TV gold. The BBC have the poor man's version of the world championships � not literally of course when you factor in Bobby the pawn star � and labelling Tony O'Shea world No 1 belongs in the realms of the global involvement in baseball's season finale. Which is all beside the point as this column was meant to be about the FA Cup. Third-round Saturday is supposed to be one of the highlights of the sporting calendar. But these days, thanks in part (and at the risk of biting the hand that feeds the sofa) to TV shifting any half-decent looking game to Sunday, that's like saying Tony O'Shea is the best in the world. O'Shea incidentally is nicknamed Silverback due to his "squat figure", to borrow from Wikipedia. The BBC, as is their many homes has been fire damaged or your fringe players � the Prince Charlies as they're known in palace circles � have just lost at Bury. Football Focus and Dan Walker, their puppy dog presenter, promised some romance and delivered a clip of Ronnie Radford within 60 seconds, but instead there was Gary Megson, sitting so mournfully on the sofa he made Lawro look full of beans. Walker bounced happily opposite them, "Lovely to see you Gary, look what happens when I unravel this roll of toilet paper. Who said walkies?" Megson kept mentioning "the football club" in case any viewers switching over from T4 thought he had been manager of Smooth, Bolton's premier nightclub. On Soccer Saturday, their man at Stoke broke an FA Cup exclusive. "I can exclusively reveal that the York coach arrived five minutes ago," he said breathlessly, although that might have been down to the cold. At Boro, a pale man whose teeth may have been chattering suggested that the "weather could be the big story of the day". The football certainly wasn't, so when a secessionist movement on the sofa seized control of the remote and switched to Clifford the Big Red Dog, there was little protest, particularly when it turned out to be an allegorical tale of Manchester City: a dog that grew very big but still couldn't stop making an absolute tit of itself. Order was restored in time to see Tic-Tacs advertised during half-time on ITV, another FA Cup tradition � and that's just about where we came in.
By Robin Scott-Elliot
IN THE build-up to Christmas, sometime at the start of September, there was a succession of adverts on TV suggesting people traded in unwanted jewellery for cash. What state the economy would be in if Bobby George had taken up that offer doesn't bear thinking about; suffice to say that Alistair Darling's eyebrows may well have finally matched his hair
With eyes closed, you could imagine you were being sweet-talked by Pat Butcher
obsession when it comes to non-team sports, kept cutting to Mrs O'S, who was roaring her husband on while clutching a cuddly gorilla, which would seem to back up Wikipedia for once. Like the Queen's Speech in years long gone by, third-round Saturday used to be one of the sterling traditions of the Christmas holidays, but these days nobody's that bothered unless it's been an annus horribilis, ie one of your
Bite-size
The FA Cup Final remains one of the 10 sports events reserved for terrestrial UK broadcast. Other events on the list include the World Cup, the Olympic Games, the Grand National, Wimbledon and the Rugby Union World Cup final.